University Issues
by DarkVoid116
Summary: Gohan enters college alongside his inseparable best friend. As he deals with growing up, family problems, girls, and the pressure of school, watch how the relationships he holds with his closest family members and friends change, and how he handles all the drama. A/U
1. Dorm

**Hey everyone! This is DarkVoid116 here with my first multi-chaptered story. It's a total A/U fic, since ShadowMajin's fics have hooked me on that, but it won't be like his in many ways****. Please enjoy. I'll include flashbacks in future chapters to explain confusing events if need be.**

CHAPTER ONE: DORM

It was the beginning of the rest of his life. It was his first day of West City University. He had it all arranged; his best friend would greet him and, together with their parents, the pair would begin the next chapter in their lives.

The day began like any other. Nineteen-year-old Son Gohan groggily opened his eyes, rubbing away the sleepiness as he slowly hoisted his upper body into a sitting position. After perching himself there for a few more seconds, Gohan gathered his bearing and hopped off of his bed to begin his morning routine.

Gohan was what one would call a fairly attractive young man. He had spiky, jet black hair that defied all the laws of gravity. His face was nearly flawless, his jaw chiseled, his lips full and round. He was rather tall and muscular, yet simultaneously toned. In short, most girls drooled over his godlike figure.

He never seemed to notice, though. Some of this might have been due to his stunted social development. Until he toured the campus for his new university, the extent to his social interactions with the opposite gender were his homeschooling tutor, a beautiful, blonde woman named Launch; his mother, Son Chi Chi; and his mother's best friend, the poor, blue-haired orphan Bulma Brief.

His homeschooling tutor, Launch, almost exclusively wore form-fitting red shirts which put her cleavage on display nicely. She was extremely beautiful: fit, but not extremely thin. She had a serious, no-nonsense attitude and didn't appreciate insubordination from her students. Although Gohan could admire her from afar, he was so far apart from her in age that it did nothing to develop his capability to deal with the opposite sex.

His mother was also a very pretty woman. She was in her mid-to-late thirties, had deep, dark black hair, and rosy, pink lips. Chi Chi generally had her hair tied back into a bun, completing her basic appearance. She was extremely persistent though, always putting up a good fight wherever necessary.

Bulma was probably the most beautiful of all three women. She had curves to die for, aqua blue hair, beautiful eyes, and an attitude which complimented her beauty perfectly. Her feistiness was one of the reasons Gohan respected her the most out of the three women.

Bulma's parents were rich, sure, but the bluenette hadn't inherited her parent's fortune. She ran away and eloped when she turned twenty-two with a male model - some man named Vegeta. She and Vegeta had one kid, a lilac-haired nine-year-old named Trunks. He was homeschooled by Chi Chi alongside Gohan's younger brother, Goten.

Goten was Gohan's eight-year-old, innocent, naive brother. The kid has sparkling onyx orbs which radiated with excitement and energy. Gohan had been sure to take care of him ever since his birth since his father had been arrested on charges of battery and domestic abuse shortly after his mother fell pregnant. He was eventually acquitted of a murder accusation, but was still serving a lengthy sentence behind bars.

Soon after Goten was born, Gohan took over many of the household duties. He learned how to drive his car and regularly drove from his small, cozy abode on the outskirts of West City to the nearest shopping center.

On one of these excursions, he had been salvaging the last of the vegetable stand when a kid who looked roughly his age approached him and asked him if he could have one of the cucumbers in his basket. Seeing no harm, Gohan had chosen the freshest looking cucumber of his lot and handed it over to the boy.

The boy introduced himself as Sharpner. Ever since that day, Gohan had rode his bike to Sharpner's house and the two had become fast friends.

Seven years later, the pair were preparing to enter college at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

…

"Hello, can I help you?" Gohan, Sharpner, Chi Chi, and Sharpner's parents were standing directly in front of the main desk at West City University's Registration Center. The dome-like building was likely the most massive building any of the five had ever seen. They were only five because Goten was staying with the Brief's. Chi Chi figured it'd be better if Goten got his goodbyes out of the way earlier.

Collecting his thoughts, Gohan decided to take the head. "Hi, I'm Son Gohan. This here's Sharpner Pencil. We're new students here."

The cheerfulness present in Gohan's voice was impossible to miss. It seemed likely that the receptionist picked up on his energetic response, because her lips immediately perked up a bit into a wide smile.

"Ah! I'll find your registration papers and room information. I assume you two are roommates, right?" Both Gohan and Sharpner nodded their heads in confirmation. "Very well. Here is your orientation pamphlet. Read through it and report to your designated area at the appropriate time, okay? Your room keys are inside this envelope," she said while handing both the blond and black-haired teens their keys.

Gohan's gaze lingered a bit on her hand, which seemed colored very oddly, before he accepted his room key. The small group proceeded to turn around and leave the Registration Center.

Once they were outside, Gohan turned to Sharpner, poking him lightly in the shoulder in an attempt to gain the blonde male's attention. Once he had it, he spoke in a whisper. "Sharpner, what was that colored stuff on that woman's fingers?"

Sharpner suppressed a frustrated sigh before responding to his clueless best friend's inquiry. "Gohan, are you for real? It's called nail polish. Women sometimes paint their nails different colors. I know you had a sheltered childhood, with deranged fathers and all, but seriously?" Gohan, not wanting to reveal the embarrassing truth that he had never even heard of nail polish, focused on their destination instead.

The group of five had wandered in the direction of the teenage duo's dormitory. The sheet of paper the receptionist had given them stated to head towards Kenley Dormitory Building. Chi Chi had whipped out her handy West City University map and gotten down to business as soon as the five had left the Registration Center. They were currently about five minutes away from Kenley.

As they walked, Gohan observed his surroundings. With his best friend at his side, he was able to really put into perspective how lucky he was. He saw more kids than he could count arguing with their parents about this and that. He and Sharpner already knew everything they wanted. They'd agreed on video games, TVs, DVD players, movies, the refrigerator, drinks, and everything in between.

As he and his close knit group passed by a wooden, oak bench, Gohan noticed two girls who looked to be about 21 or 22 making out on the bench. One of the girls had her hands snaked under the other's shirt. The one on the receiving end of this pleasurable experience caught the spiky haired teen's gaze and gave him a playful wink, licking her lips.

Gohan's face turned beet red at that gesture, as he hastily turned away, hiding his embarrassment.

'_I hope all college girls aren't like that,'_Gohan thought, somewhat distraught.

A few minutes later, Gohan and Sharpner showed their orientation pamphlet and room key to the police officer standing guard at Kenley. With a quick scan, the two teens were in. After their parents flashed their licenses, all five were free to proceed. They walked down a long, narrow hallway. The walls were painted a baby pink and pictures of Dr. Brief and other famous West City University alumni decorated the hallway. As they approached their room, 112A, Sharpner placed his room key in front of the door. The small, ruby red light blinked a few times before changing to green, signaling for the teens to enter. Sharpner grasped the handle and turned it, entering the room.

As Gohan walked in behind Sharpner, he couldn't help but openly gape. Sure, the room wasn't as spacious as his back home, but there was enough room to _easily _accommodate all of the belongings the pair brought with them. The tall teen hopped onto the leftmost bed, instinctively lying down. Folding his hands behind his head so his fingers interlaced, Gohan sighed contentedly, relishing in the smell of freedom which intruded his nostrils.

His perfect dream was temporarily disrupted when his mother made it known the parents were still around.

"Gohan, where do you want to put the refrigerator?" His mom was always on top of _everything _no matter what. Due to this, he wasn't shell-shocked that she wanted to cut to the chase and get down to business. Plus, he suspected that she didn't trust Vegeta with Goten all too much and probably wanted to get over there as soon as she could.

"In the corner is fine, Mom. You know that Sharpner and I will be able to handle everything, right? We virtually spent the last six years at each other's houses. This will be a piece of cake, okay?" Gohan spoke with an authoritative tone, punctuating his last remark with a long, drawn out sigh for emphasis.

Chi Chi frowned at her son's dismissive attitude, but eventually relented and turned towards Sharpner's parents.

"Do either of you have anything else to add?" After a pair of quick shakes of the head, Gohan pushed off the bed with his hands, gracefully landing on the carpeted floor.

Walking over to his mother, he enveloped her in a tight embrace one final time, before ushering the three adults out of the room. He then flopped backwards onto his bed and gave a light chuckle, enjoying the peace and quiet of his new dorm room for the first time.

...

After the two teens had napped away the majority of the afternoon, a light rapping sound startled them awake. They glanced at one another before realizing somebody was repeatedly knocking on their bedroom door. Lightly tousling his pitch black locks with his right hand, Gohan gestures towards the door with his head after making eye contact with Sharpner.

The spiky-haired teenager watched triumphantly as his blonde companion swung the door open. Gohan's eyes widened when he saw a _really _cute redheaded girl standing in the doorway.

"Hi!" she chirped, her high-pitched squeal sending a painful ringing through the duo's ears. "My name is Angela! What's your name?" As annoying as her voice was, Gohan had to admit her found her quite attractive. She had bright red hair and exceptionally wonderful… assets… which served to truly highlight her figure. Her jeans hugged her ass tightly, and her shirt left _very _little to the imagination. The thoughts running through both Gohan and Sharpner's heads were identical.

'_I hope all college girls look like this.'_

Suddenly, the raven-haired teen remembered that he was asked a question and quickly blurted out an answer. "Gohan. My name is Gohan."

Even somebody as socially stupid as himself recognized the lust emanating from Angela's eyes as he spoke. It sent chills down his spine but also excited him for reasons he couldn't fathom.

Sharpner promptly introduced himself as well. Angela then told the boys that she looked forward to seeing them during the semester with a wink before she left, leaving the door slightly open.

...

"Hey, Sharpner? What did you think of Angela?" It had been a few hours since Angela had knocked on the door. The two teens were mostly situated in their respective spaces. Gohan had his "Captain Groggle" pillow, his baby blue blanket, and the white sheets set atop his mattress. He had set up the TV, refrigerator, and organized his clothes and personal belongings. Sharpner was putting the finishing touches on his desk-drawer. Gohan had waited long enough to ask the million dollar question; Angela had practically raped him with her eyes.

"Gohan, my buddy, are you taking an interest in girls?" Sharpner drawled after a few moments. Everyone familiar with the Sons and Pencils knew how inexperienced Gohan was when it came to the ladies.

The boy in question twiddled his thumbs nervously before scratching the back of his neck with his right hand. "Erm, I'm not sure. Angela was pretty cute, and she had a nice butt." Gohan didn't notice Sharpner's eyes go wide and a blush promptly cover his face.

"Gohan, let's just play a video game. A racing game should do the trick." Gohan and Sharpner loved to compete against one another in video games where the necessary skills were speed, technique, and precision.

...

About forty-five minutes later, the teenage pair finished their video game competition. Sharpner was sitting on his mattress, leaning against the wall with his arms folded while listening to music. His raven-haired companion was handling a few wires, fiddling with them and trying to match to correct wires to the TV.

"Hey Gohan, did you see that we have a meeting in the third floor lounge at 9 p.m.?" Sharpner queried his preoccupied friend.

Gohan turned to face his blonde friend, raising an eyebrow. "What's the meeting for, dude?" Sharpner knew one thing his best friend _didn't _have the patience for was a meaningless question. Having suffered his painful wrath a multitude of times in the past, the blonde boy immediately tossed a piece of paper towards Gohan. "Residential rules and regulations; it sounds like a bunch of bull if you ask me, Sharpner. Should we go?"

"You know how mad our mothers will be if we skip out on mandatory obligations on the first day, bro. I think we have to go. I'm not happy about it either." Sharpner added that last tidbit of information upon seeing Gohan's nose scrunch up in disgust. "We'll arrive a few minutes prior to 9 and leave the moment it's over, okay?" Receiving a nod as his reply, Sharpner picked up a book and attempted to pass the time.

...

It was 8:55 p.m. Sharpner and Gohan had just locked the door to their dorm room. Both teenagers stowed away their respective key cards before slowly meandering their way to the third-floor lounge.

Once they arrive, the duo observed their surroundings, taking in the diverse groups of people. Gohan glanced at his best friend and gestured towards a pair of available seats once he had his attention.

The inseparable best friends talked animatedly with each other for a few minutes before a shrill voice interrupted their conversation. "Hello! I'm the third floor Resident Assistant, or R.A. My name is Jenkins. Yes, that's my first name. No it isn't an alias. Any questions so far?"

Gohan turned to Sharpner with surprised, widened eyes. This was going to be interesting, that's for sure.

A short, stumpy-looking kid with glasses resting on the bridge of his nose spoke up. "Yeah! What are the guest visitation policies? Can anybody come in and out of the dorm building at any time?" he queried once the R.A.'s attention was solely on him. A large portion of the other students voiced their agreement, most probably wondering if they would be able to get a girl into their room over night.

"Ah! Yes, that it a most excellent question! Actually, all visitors need to sign in at the front desk! They will put their name on the sign-in booklet and then must log the exact time they leave the building. Also, overnight visitors _must _be of your gender. Boys cannot sign in girls anywhere on campus and girls cannot sign in boys. Is that understood?" Jenkins lectured. His voice had that smug, condescending clip to it as he dashed the hopes of every male in the room.

As Gohan listened to Jenkins ramble on about the rules, he started to become agitated. Most of the rules were essentially common sense - no alcohol, no drugs, no weapons - but some of the regulations were absolutely absurd. The residents who had cars needed to keep them off the main road between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. or face the possibility of an expensive ticket with a point on their license. He really wanted to just return to his room with Sharpner or go mingle with some of his floormates. The entire process was just one gigantic pain in his ass.

Taking a glance at his blonde companion, he noticed how bored Sharpner looked. Gohan could see his best friend twiddling his thumb under the chair, prodding at the undersurface of it. Gohan sighed for the umpteenth time during the meeting, then refocused his attention on his resident assistant just in time to hear the shrill voice release all of the residents to their rooms.

"Sharpner, let's get the hell out of here. I'm exhausted," Gohan said as he addressed the other male. After his friend agreed with this idea, the pair stood up, dusted their clothes off, and left the room following the hordes of other teens.

When they got to the door, Gohan came face to face with a mess of red hair. Recognizing the unruly ruby mane, he redirected his gaze to the person's face. "Angela! Hi, how are you?" he greeted cheerily. The smile on his face was genuine; he was happy to see a familiar face.

"I'm good! Gohan... was it? What are you doing later, cutie?" Angela responded. You would have had to be stupid, relationship-wise, to miss the obvious flirtiness in her voice and the way she accentuated her words suggestively, topping it all off with a wink.

Gohan allowed his right hand to slowly scratch the lower portion of the back of his neck as he searched for a retort. He was saved from answering through the blush on his face when Sharpner clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We're doing nothing, right Gohan? Why, what are you doing?" he said to Angela. Gohan didn't miss the look of disgust and indifference on Angela's face when Sharpner answered instead of himself, but he was extremely grateful for his blonde pal's intrusion. He likely would have made a stuttering fool out of himself.

"My roommate and I are thinking of going out to a party a few blocks away," Angela responding while looking at Sharpner. She then turned to Gohan and added, "Would you like to come, handsome?" in a merry voice.

Once again, Gohan's best friend answered in his place, responding in the affirmative. With the details ironed out afterward, the duo decided to meet up with Angela outside the Kenley dorm at 10:15 p.m., then leave for the party at the local fraternity house promptly. The house was apparently several streets over and began at 10:30, so they wanted to get there between 10:25 and 10:30 in order to pay the cheapest possible entrance fee.

With everything sorted out, Gohan and Sharpner returned to their room. After flashing their electronic room keys, the door to their dorm unlocked and the pair stepped in. Gohan flicked the light on, then plopped himself in his bed in order to take a short rest. Since it was already a quarter until 10, he only had enough time for a momentary rest before Sharpner would force him to start preparing for the party. Apparently his best friend thought they needed to dress casually and appropriately. There would be no room for errors; they were going to look their absolute finest.

Ten minutes later, Gohan hopped off of his bed and reached into his drawer. He took out a plain, red tee shirt, a pair of tight, comfortable navy blue jeans, a white, sleeveless undershirt, and the nicest sneakers he brought to college. He took the collected attire and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him before quickly changing clothes. He put a smidgen of hair gel into his hair in order to keep it pointing upward, sprayed himself with some nice-smelling deodorant, and swished around some mouthwash in his mouth. All in all, he was dressed and ready to leave for this party.

To say he was nervous would be the understatement of the century. His father, after all, was a high-level criminal. He had been put behind bars when Gohan was just eleven and he had barely seen hide nor hair of the man since then. His mother had always scolded him on the dangers of recreational substance usage, and he had always responded by saying he wouldn't let peer pressure get to him. At the same time, he knew Sharpner enjoyed occasionally dabbling in the wonders of alcohol, so it was not surprising at all that his blonde companion wished to attend the party.

Sighing, the spiky-haired teen resigned himself to at least _try _to have some fun at the party. Maybe he would make a friend, or find himself a girlfriend. He blushed madly at that thought, thinking back to the way Angela batted her eyelashes at him and spoke with such confidence. Was he really that desirable to women? If so, how had he missed if for the first nineteen some odd years of his life?

Glancing at Sharpner, he noticed the boy was just about finished gathering his belongings. A moment later, the duo walked out of their dorm room door and began trekking toward the front desk, intent on meeting up with Angela and her mystery roommate.

…

In her entire life, she had _never _been nervous. She was always considered the cream of the crop, the best of the best. During her high school years, every single guy in her school had offered her various gifts and treasures in exchange for one measly date. How, then, did one onyx-eyed hunk of a man destroy her carefully constructed emotional walls? After her father left her mother, she made herself the promise that no guy would ever be good enough. They were all scum, dirtier than the bottom of a trash can. Yet here on the first day of university she had become smitten with this Gohan character.

Angela sighed as she checked her watch for the umpteenth time. She had arrived at 10:10, not wanting to risk Gohan thinking she had stood him up. She'd also resolved to herself to do everything within her power to woo Gohan. He was the perfect boyfriend material; he was shy, naive, cute, and appeared extremely intelligent. His shyness might end up being a detriment since he had absolutely no idea how to conduct himself around women. The fierce blush which overtook his cheeks when Angela had complimented his natural appearances was testament to that fact.

10:17

Angela sighed once again and gazed towards the front door. When she had left the Kenley lobby and stood just outside the front door, a security guard had informed her to stand about twenty-five feet away if she was waiting for someone. For what purpose, she did not know, but she obliged obediently and now stood waiting for the two males. Her roommate would meet her at the party since she needed to drive home to get some bedding. She had known this when she invited Gohan and Sharpner to the frat party, but since Gohan was hesitant she needed the blonde boy to convince him. If it was just her, she was afraid her obviously annoyed disposition would scare Sharpner so she brought up her roommate, who was admittedly attractive.

All of a sudden a tap on her shoulder broke her reverie; Angela spun around intent on giving the owner of that hand a piece of her mind only to get lost in a sea of black. The redhead stared intently into Gohan's onyx orbs for a few seconds before shrugging off whatever took control of her emotions and embracing the ebony-haired teen in a hug. After she released him, she wrapped up Sharpner as well in order to seem inconspicuous.

"Well boys," she started, clasping her hands together, "let's go to this party!" Angela grabbed a hold of Gohan's left arm and snuggled her head into his shoulder. Gohan began blushing furiously, but the petite redhead couldn't see that from her vantage point.

With Angela's hands interlocked around Gohan's arm, the trio began walking towards the off-campus fraternity house. Sharpner was situated to Gohan's right with a wide grin etched onto his features, clearly enjoying the spiky-haired teen's embarrassment.

As they walked, Angela observed their surroundings. Her wild red hair swayed in the evening wind, tickling Gohan's shoulder where her head laid. She glanced up at the tall boy, taking in his features once more. Sure, when she had first met him a few hours ago, she knew he was quite a catch, but from close proximity, she could see the trace amounts of gel in his hair, the fact that his onyx-colored eyes were endless in their depth, and the fine details of his face. His jaw looked as if it was carved from pure marble, although the rest of his facial features appeared childish and innocent in many ways. His pitch black pupils held an innocent tint to them, making it almost seem as if Gohan had endured more trauma than she had. She, the nineteen-year-old girl with a deadbeat father and an overprotective mother, a younger sibling who died at three days old, and an uncle who was killed in a drunk driving accident. As unfathomable as she had previously thought that, the prospect of someone with a tougher childhood than her was staring her right in the eyes.

Her admiring came to a halt as the threesome arrived at their destination. From the outside the house looked like any other, complete with pure white curtains in the windows and a pair of maroon brick steps leading up the front door. But just a second glance painted an entirely different portrait. The loud, blaring music made it blatantly obvious that _something _was going down inside.

If the absurd volume didn't clue one in, the six-foot-tall truck-like bodyguards standing directly outside the front door might have instead. As the group approached the bouncer, he spoke to them in a surprisingly kind and friendly voice. "Hey guys, that'll be 10 each for the dudes and 5 for the lady," he said, allowing his gaze to linger on Angela momentarily. Angela flinched and buried her head a bit more into Gohan's shoulder.

"All right then," Gohan said, forking over his ten dollars. Sharpner handed over ten as well, and an additional five to cover Angela, with elicited an inquisitory raise of the eyebrow from the bouncer due to her seemingly permanent position attached to the black-haired teen's left side.

After the trio had entered, Sharpner went off in search of some drinks, telling Gohan the party would "really start" when he returned. Gohan tried to pry Angela's hands from his forearm, attempting to explain that he wanted to meet some new people at the party, which the redhead understood.

As such, Angela was situated on the couch alone with her elbow rested on the arm of the couch, her chin in her palm. She was feeling slightly dejected over her current predicament. In high school, if she were in this situation, she would have found some oh-too-willing guy to fuck her brains out and call it a day. This was college, however, and she wanted to present herself in an entirely different manner than she had in high school. Everybody in her high school knew of her as the person who rejected more dates than she passed tests, but approached random people for a good lay every once in awhile.

Glancing toward Gohan, she noticed his uncomfortableness; some girl was obviously flirting with him, yet he appeared to be trying his best to stay on her good side while formulating a kind way to reject her. Angela sighed, realizing once again how absolutely perfect that boy seemed to be. He had literally no faults whatsoever.

Seeing a table with a keg situated on its edge and a small line for the bucket of beer, Angela grabbed for nearest unused cup and got on the line, intent on enjoying herself thoroughly even if she couldn't be with Gohan at all during the night.

…

They say blondes are stupid, they say they are "dumb blondes" or can't do anything. Sharpner had been subject to countless moments where someone trashed him because of his hair color. Contrary to what everyone except those closest to him think, Sharpner actually was extremely smart and had an exemplary work ethic.

It is because of these smarts that he was also very perceptive. While Gohan was socially stupid and did not know how to conduct himself properly in a large group of people, Sharpner could pick up subtle hints. For example, he knew Angela was head over heels for Gohan already. He also knew that Gohan would not know it was very gentleman-like to pay for Angela, which explains why he picked up the cost of her entry fee.

As he stood off to the side idly and watched the attractive redhead gaze admiringly at his best friend, a small sense of jealousy rose in his chest. He shrugged it off and grabbed two beers before seeking out Gohan. They might have been best friends forever, but he _needed _to get Gohan to lighten up. Sure, his father had been an awful role model, but not every person who drank alcohol succumbed to it and became an alcoholic.

Taking one beer in each hand, Sharpner mosied his way into the main room. Since they had arrived early, there was scarcely a soul at the party. Sharpner observed many women of various sizes, eye color, and hair color getting hit on by nerdy looking boys and several slutty appearing women desperately attempting to suck up to the more handsome men at the party. A beer pong table, equipped with mats with circular targets for each cup to be placed on, was situated in the corner of the room away from everything else. There was a pitch black boombox in the center of the room with a dock for a personal music player.

Sharpner handed his beer to Gohan as subtly as possible since the spiky-haired teen was half-heartedly listening to some floozy go on and on about her high school life.

The blonde teenager plopped himself on a couch near a window and relaxed. He could spy Angela on a couch nearby, with her chin resting on her palm. He slightly sympathized for the girl, since she was definitely a better catch than Gohan's current conversation partner, and she probably knew it and was utterly confused.

As he turned back toward the boombox at the center of the room, Sharpner spied a girl that definitely caught his interest. Her hair shone beautifully under the dim lighting of the room, he vibrantly colored tube top contrasting nicely with her blue jeans. She looked stunning, and, to Sharpner, was the epitome of gorgeousness.

As smoothly as he could, the blonde boy sauntered over to her. When he and Gohan were getting ready, he had purposely worn a loose, button down shirt. He kept the top two buttons undone, giving him a heightened sense of style, something he was very grateful for in hindsight.

As he approached her, he locked eyes with her, noting with glee that she seemed shocked; he really hoped it was because he looked rather handsome and not because they had previously met. That would be extremely awkward.

At the _exact _moment Sharpner reached the beauty, the music turned to one of Sharpner's favorite songs. Smirking slightly, the boy offered his hand before speaking. "Would you do me the utmost honor and dance with me?"

The girl's eyes lit up before her soft pink lips quirked upward into a smile. "Yes, I would love that," she responded, a seemingly genuine smile highlighting her pale features.

"So," Sharpner began, "what's your name?" He noted that her smile widened at that question.

"That's a mystery pretty boy. How about we make a bet. If you can keep up with me on the dance floor and then beat me in beer pong, I'll tell you my name, 'kay?" she offered, her eyes ablaze due to the prospect of a challenge.

Sharpner smirked. ""You're on, sweetie."

...

**That's the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading.**

**I'd like to extend a great thanks to three people who gave me a great hand with this story so far. The first is Kakarot Son who did a preliminary run-through to catch any errors. You should check out Kaka's new fic "Come Fly With Me" because it is totally amazing. The second is Kanotari, who beta'd the entire chapter for me. She's pretty awesome, and has a few Bulma/Vegeta fics up. The third is Lilly-sama/Kisa-kun, who made the cover for me. She has a lot of awesome Gohan x Videl fics up in both English and French, you should definitely read her stuff.**

**This chapter is also dedicated to the belated birthday of Ri696q, who also has some pretty dang awesome Gh/Vi fics up. **

**Lastly, I'm a member of Team Dragon Star- you should definitely check out some of the nearly eighty fics, both one-shots and multi-chaptered, that are up on that account. There are one-shots of nearly all of the big DBZ pairings out there, and a ton of Gohan x Videl multi-chaptered fics. If you like what you see, you should apply via the Marshalling Zone. The link is on my profile.**

**Please leave me your thoughts in a review if you'd like. **


	2. Friendships Forged

**Don't really have any excuses for why it took so long to update. The good news is chapter 3 is nearly finished and could be up very, very soon. There are a few cameo appearances from TDS friends in this chapter. I'll list them at the end if you don't catch them. Thank you to Kanotari for beta'ing this chapter once again.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ**

**Now on with the story:**

"Oh, you're gonna regret calling me sweetie," the mystery girl started, "because now I'm going to try extra hard to stick it to you." Sharpner flinched ever so slightly, wondering whether or not it was actually a good idea to use a nickname for this woman. "By the way, until I tell you my real name, call me Maxi, okay?" Sharpner nodded his consent, then walked towards the middle of the dance floor, hand in hand with Maxi.

Sharpner hesitantly placed his hands on Maxi's hips as the drop-dead gorgeous teen smoothly backed herself up into the blonde boy. Sharpner felt extremely awkward, considering he was an amateur at dancing, but he couldn't turn down the chance to spend some time with this Maxi girl.

As the rhythm began to pick up speed, he felt the girl in front of him swaying her hips constantly, inadvertently showing off her fantastic curves for everyone to see. If he wasn't trying to badly to copy her movements he would have stayed aside and watched the show, tossing singles at her.

As the pair moved fluidly to the music, more and more people showed up. Sharpner was trying very hard to pay attention to the dance moves, but Gohan's nervous laughter broke his concentration. That momentary lapse in focus in turn caused the blonde boy to miss Maxi moving her foot forward, causing Sharpner to trip over her outstretched leg. He then proceeded to crumple to the floor in a heap, Maxi coming down atop him.

It only took Maxi a moment to realize she was lying atop the teen, and when she did she hurriedly sat up. Sharpner stared up into her mesmerizing aqua blue eyes, realizing once more how beautiful the goddess atop him was. He then considered her current position, and a fierce blush overtook his features, for she was currently straddling his mid section. The blood rushed to his lower region almost instantaneously, causing her to immediately stand up and brush off her clothes, coughing awkwardly all the while.

"Um," Sharpner began, "how about we call that one a draw? Let's go play beer pong." Maxi nodded fervently, wanting to put that embarrassing event in the past for sure.

With that, the pair walked off in search of an empty beer pong table.

…

While Sharpner was dancing with his mystery girl for that short while, Gohan had met up with Angela again, who had asked him to be her beer pong partner.

He was understandably hesitant at first since he had never played ping pong or any of its variants, but the pushy redhead had eventually convinced him that nobody was good at beer pong, so it didn't matter in the slightest.

Now, the duo found themselves standing in front of a gray foldable table, preparing to play the drinking game. Since Gohan had never played before, being the innocent nineteen-year-old he was, Angela decided to take the time to explain the basic rules, promising to outline more complicated rules as they played.

"So basically," she started, "there are ten cups, organized in a four-three-two-one triangle. The objective is to throw the ping pong ball and make the ball in a cup! Each cup is filled with enough beer so that it won't get knocked over if the ball bounces off the rim of the cup."

"What if it hits it at the perfect angle to transfer the weight of the liquid?" Gohan interjected, showcasing his brains.

"You're so smart Gohan," Angela gushed, positively glowing. "If a cup _does _get knocked over, the team whose cup got knocked over drinks another cup. I'll explain send backs and bounce shots as we play. In order to start," she continued, "we go for eye for eye. That's where two competitors stare into one another's eyes and shoot. The first team to make an unanswered shot goes first!" Angela clapped her hands together excitedly and signaled for their opponents to choose somebody to go first. "I'll shoot first for us, 'kay Gohan?" Not waiting for a response, Angela picked up the ping pong ball.

"What are your names?" Angela's opponent asked as the two girls got ready to shoot. "Mine is Kano and this is my friend Tari."

"My name is Angela, and the shy cutie pie over here is Gohan," Angela answered with a wink. The smugness in her tone was impossible to miss, even for Gohan.

Kano and Tari giggled when Gohan's face lit up cherry red in the wake of Angela's comment. "Okay, so, are you guys ready to play?" Tari began, a bright smile adorning her features, "Because I totally am!"

With that, Kano and Angela looked right into one another's eyes. Each girl motioned up and down with their dominant arm, practicing their shots. After three practice motions, each girl shot their ping pong ball. Kano's shot bounced off the front of the rim and bounced slightly left back towards her and off the table. Angela shot her ball in a high arc, sinking it effortlessly before winking at Gohan.

"That's how you make a shot, cutie," she started, "and so we go first. I'll shoot, then you, okay?"

Gohan nodded absentmindedly at Angela's words, attempting to process all of the information he'd received in the past few minutes.

Gohan's red-headed companion lined up her hand motion and fired away, sinking the middle cup moments after the ball left her hand. Gohan lined up his shot next and reared his hand back before tossing up an overarching, looping shot which landed with a soft splash in the back right corner of the set up.

"That was excellent hon!" Angela exclaimed, her voice a mixture of excitement and apprehension due to Gohan sinking his shot. Their opponents tossed the ball back, muttering something about send backs, and both frowned. Gohan lined up his second shot and opted to shoot first, sinking yet another cup, to the obvious delight of Angela.

The game carried on, both Gohan and Angela performing exceptionally well. Gohan ended up going on what was called 'fire,' where he was able to continuously shoot until he missed. Much to the chagrin of both Kano and Tari, he sank every single cup effortlessly, allowing each girl just one shot in the end.

With the game in their rear view mirror, Gohan looked down at Angela and allowed a soft smile to grace his features. True, he'd admitted to Sharpner in the room that she was cute, but seeing her up close and personal, being so close to her, made him realize it all the more. Speaking of his blonde best friend, Gohan looked around aimlessly, trying to find him. He knew Sharpner had more experience with these types of things, but it still made him more awkward than he felt it should have.

Upon receiving a small tug on his sleeve, Gohan peered down at the hand; Angela was pulling him towards an assortment of food, beverages and a tall, barrel-like container that read "Matt's Kegs" on the label. He obediently followed his redheaded companion like a puppy dog, not knowing any other way to proceed. They shuffled through hoards of people before finally reaching a couch situation in front of the snacks.

"Hey," Angela said, interrupting his thoughts, "where did your friend Sharpner end up going?" Angela twiddled with her thumbs as she spoke, tugging on the tight-fitting fabric of her outfit. She made small twirls with the cloth, mindlessly occupying herself.

"Oh, what?" Gohan responded. He'd been thinking about food and how delicious all of the snacks appeared. Realizing that he'd responded brainlessly upon Angela's small giggle, he came to his senses and processed her question. "I don't know actually. I haven't seen him since we first got here. I'll go look for him in a little while; he's better at these things than I am."

"Hey Gohan?" Angela softly inquired. As she spoke the words, she nestled her head into his arm lightly, causing the spiky-haired teen to blush profusely. "Is something wrong? You seem kind of depressed. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying hard not to think about something."

"It's nothing," Gohan tried to reassure her.

"Haha... every time I say that what I really mean if something's wrong. Perhaps old memories?"

Gohan looked down at her and smiled. "How did you know I've had a rough past, if I may ask?" At that moment, the teen realized Angela had potential as a best friend. She was cute, sure, but she was also sweet and considerate and cared about his feelings and emotions.

"Your eyes are guarded," Angela responded after a long peaceful silence, "and you carry yourself like someone holding the weight of the world on their shoulders." She shifted her body to relax more into Gohan's shoulder and stared expectantly up at him.

After Gohan absorbed her words he spoke carefully, intend on revealing a smidgen about him. "Let's just say my father wouldn't win any awards for Dad of the Year. He was around, and I do believe he meant well, but he kind of had his priorities backwards the majority of the time."

Nodding in understanding, Angela grabbed one of Gohan's hands and squeezed it reassuringly. "I had a tough childhood too, you know. My dad was in yours' company. I've also coped with death all around me my entire life." Her blazing red locks fell over Gohan's shoulder and she hugged him lightly.

Gazing down at his new friend, Gohan sighed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Luckily I've seen minimal death, and it's never been someone super close to me. You know," Gohan offered as he gained some confidence, "you're really cute. I may be fairly oblivious to most romantic advances, but I was perceptive enough to see you hitting on me. I think we'd work better as super close friends and confidants, though." He swallowed the lump in his throat as he met her eyes, cautiously optimistic. "Is that okay, Angela?"

He really didn't want her to become upset, so it brought a radiant smile to his face when she nodded slowly, probably registering that they'd just become close friends. Gohan finally allowed the tension built up in his shoulders to relax, inadvertently causing his new friend to nestle into him a little more. The pair relaxed and both their minds drifted off to a university experience with one another as confidants and buddies.

...

"So... now that I've done everything I said I would, you owe me one. What's your actual name?" Sharpner inquired once they were done with some drinking games.

The blonde beauty had kept true to her charade of being called Maxi all throughout the evening, but she realized that her 'date' had a right to know her real name. "It's Erasa. Erasa with an E."

She giddily smiled when Sharpner's facial expression transformed into a smirk. It stunk that she needed to leave soon with her roommate Angela since she was truly enjoying herself with what seemed to be a genuinely friendly guy. "How about I give you my phone number, Sharpner?" she offered with a quick wink.

The way his face lit up like a child in a candy store was enough of an answer, so Erasa began scribbling her seven digit number onto a small, square piece of paper, then handed it to Sharpner. "I need to go meet up with my friend, but call me soon, 'kay?"

Before she could take three steps, she felt her wrist being grabbed and her body spun around. When her eyes registered what had happened, Erasa came face to face with Sharpner, who was now only inches away. She could feel the warm tingle of his rhythmic breathing on her lips. She suddenly became more aware of the carpet beneath her as she blushed a bit and averted her gaze. Before she knew what was happening, Sharpner pressed his lips softly to hers. The sensation was more amazing than any previous kiss in her life and she could practically feel the sparks flying, but, to her utter disappointment, the blonde teen pulled back after merely a few seconds, panting slightly.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his face still just a few inches away from her. "You're really beautiful and I just really wanted to kiss you." The apologetic expression adorning his face made Erasa instantly forgive him.

"It's okay, silly. I really do need to go now, though," she said, almost regretfully, "Save the next kiss for when you call me, 'kay?"

With their conversation logically concluded, Erasa walked away from her new blonde friend. She needed to locate her redheaded roommate, who'd arrived at the party before her, apparently tagging along with some 'cutie pie.' The gorgeous blonde maneuvered through the crowds, squirming and slipping through and opening she could find. At her old high school, parties had been loud and rambunctious, but this first college party by far took the cake as the wildest, most out of control party she'd ever been to.

As she wormed her way towards the front door, at least three different cups containing alcohol splashed into her, wetting her cheeks. Erasa sighed animatedly and wiped the liquid off her face while searching for her roommate. Numerous couches packed the house and Erasa could spot at least half a dozen couples making out all over the rooms. Scrunching her nose in obvious disgust, the blonde girl released a happy sigh as she finally reached her destination.

Things were distinctly different here at West City University. When she'd lived with her mom, she always had her best friend by her side. They'd both applied for and gotten into WCU, but screwed up the housing application and couldn't room together. Now Erasa had a new roommate in Angela, who was kind enough, but she really missed her best friend. Falling asleep in her bed wouldn't be the same without her lifelong pal by her side, gossipping about boys with her.

Erasa felt the cool night breeze whipping her blonde hair side to side, noticing for the first time how absolutely _frigid _it was outside. She spotted a brown, wooden bench and walked over, before sitting herself down on it. Reclining backwards, Erasa ran her hand through her hair, scratching the top of her head with her fingernails.

The boy that she'd danced with tonight, and even _kissed_, Sharpner, was a really sweet person. She hadn't actually dated anybody in a long time, opting to be more of a constant flirt than the type of girl who settled down with a guy. That's what made Sharpner different; she had a feeling nagging away at the back of her mind that somehow there was even more to him than she saw tonight, and that he would be around somehow for a _long _time.

Suddenly feeling exhausted and not knowing how long she'd need to wait for Angela, Erasa decided now would be a nice time to doze off. The blonde beauty closed her eyes and leaned her back on the arm of the bench. Within minutes, Erasa had fallen asleep to the image of platinum blonde hair and Sharpner's lips on hers.

...

Giddy. Ecstatic. Thrilled. Those three words all described how he was feeling right now. He'd taken a chance in asking the beautiful woman he now knew as Erasa to dance, and it had worked out fantastically.

He'd felt completely at peace with his mind for the first time in a while. Gohan was a phenomenal best friend and everything, but he completely lacked any semblance of social skills. Speaking of the black-haired boy, Sharpner idly wondered where he was and how things were going. Had he talked to any girls at all? What was he doing at this awesome party? He just hoped that Gohan hadn't just sat back and done nothing the entire time, since that'd be a real waste.

Gearing his train of thought back onto his newfound blonde friend, Sharpner allowed his thoughts to stray. Success with women wasn't a foreign concept to him, unlike with Gohan, but he always found success on a whim and none of his relationships had lasted for any significant amount of time. He still didn't know if he even _wanted _anything with Erasa since they'd just met, but if he eventually developed substantial feelings for her, he resolved to not fuck it up.

After their short time together, Erasa had wandered off somewhere in search of a friend of hers, or something. Sharpner didn't really focus his attention on her words once she said she needed to leave, instead gazing longingly at her lips. Then he kissed her! It had been rash and unplanned, but in the distinctly possible scenario they never again met, he couldn't allow the splendid opportunity to slip through his grasps.

Perhaps it was nonsensical to do that and, hell, perhaps his one shot at maintaining a legitimate relationship with her was gone due to his actions, but for that brief period of time, the consequences didn't even matter. Thinking back to the kiss, he realized that Erasa didn't exactly reject him; she hadn't kissed back, per se, but that could be chalked up to the brevity of the kiss itself rather than a meaningful glimpse into her feelings.

It was so weird and unnerving to have strong feelings for some girl after just one night! In every other case, Sharpner had flirted a bit with the girl, maybe even dragged Gohan along to hang out under the guise of a double date to lessen the pressure, or anything of that sort to make it relaxing. Never had he moved so fast and _kissed _a girl he had feelings for so quickly. Then again, Sharpner mused that this was the first day of university and he was entering completely uncharted territory, to be sure.

Sharpner lazily walked towards a couch in the frat house. Now that his excitement over Erasa was dying down, he realized that the next logical step in his night would be to locate his best friend and leave the party. It was well past midnight and basically a miracle that the police hadn't arrived as of yet; pushing their luck wasn't something he wanted to do on the first day.

The last time he'd seen his black-haired pal was when the trio - Gohan, Angela, and he, that is - had entered the party hours upon hours ago. Peering around a pale white painted wall, Sharpner spotted a small, turquoise couch and decided that no decision he made would find Gohan quickly; he didn't have magical life-form sensing abilities, after all.

He tousled his long blonde hair with his left hand and sighed, feeling the effects of all the alcohol continuing to take their toll. Flexing his muscles in front of him, he didn't even notice a moderately tall, athletic boy sit down next to him on the sofa. The boy's eyes were bloodshot and drooping, almost as if he hadn't slept in several weeks. His ruby red shirt was littered in stains, no doubt from a spill of some drink or something of that nature. What Sharpner noticed the most, however, was the distinct smell of something strong and vile emanating in spades off of his body. He knew that smell anywhere - the distinct odor of marijuana.

Now, Sharpner wouldn't consider himself an innocent angel by any means, but his parents had instilled the sense into him that any and all drugs were a disease and succumbing to their addictive and persuasive ways would be akin to sleeping with Satan. How much of this extreme viewpoint Sharpner actually believed and preached, however, was an entirely different story. He had yet to explore the sensations of drugs, but university _was _a time for new experiences and adventures. If nothing else, the blonde teenager decided he wouldn't outwardly reject the notion of experimenting with pot at the very minimum.

He also decided to talk it over with Gohan at some point in the near future. If the two decided that it was a worthwhile expenditure then, logically, they would need a dealer to supply, right?

With that in mind, Sharpner turned towards the silent boy who reeked of weed. "Hey, I'm Sharpner. What's up?" he prompted. It was a lame attempt to initiate conversation, but it worked all the same, as a set of beet-red irises rose to meet Sharpner's gaze.

"The name's Leb. What's going on with you? I'm just chilling on this couch here," he began to ramble, "Man, this party has been awesome." Leb was wearing the bright yellow wristbands, Sharpner noted, in addition to his red tee shirt. He also donned a baby blue cap with the letters 'NC' crafted across the brim, signifying North City, Sharpner assumed.

"So, you smoke?" Sharpner asked. He wasn't exactly an expert at being discreet about any of this, and figured he was exposing himself as an amateur right off the bat. To his surprise, however, he got a straight answer out of Leb.

"Yeaaaaa," Leb slurred, never really officially ending his reply. "You too?"

"No, I've never smoked. I was thinking of it though. If I wanted to, could you hook me up with weed?"

"Yea, I got you bro," Leb replied, sighing and closing his eyes as he finished responding. Leb then whipped out a clear, plastic baggie out of one pocket and a polished, purple bowl - complete with a green cobra on its end - out of his other. Sharpner had never really seen marijuana paraphernalia up close, but recognized the description from his old buddies. Knowing Leb was about to light up and burn, the blonde boy hopped out of his seat. The last thing he wanted was to find Gohan while reeking of pot.

He then stalked over to a window and peered outside, spying Erasa asleep on a bench. Immediately, his heart plummeted. Had she just created an excuse to avoid him? Maybe he really _had _fucked up in kissing her so spontaneously. Beginning to panic, coupled with the alcohol overtaking his brain completely, Sharpner collapsed, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

...

Some time after Sharpner had collapsed, Gohan awoke from his evening slumber. At first, he didn't recognize his surroundings, but his memories slowly returned and the mess of red hair on his shoulder suddenly made more sense.

'_Angela.'_

He had just met her earlier that night, but they'd become fast friends, both burdened by a deadbeat father and a tough childhood. She looked so peaceful and serene with her head relaxed on his shoulder; he didn't dare move a muscle, lest he wake her up.

Not only had things gone swimmingly with Angela, but they had also established friendship boundaries and, if all went well, would not need to suffer through romantic hurdles. They were friends, just friends.

There was also the enigma that was Sharpner. Gohan hadn't seen his blonde-haired best friend since the trio arrived at the party and, judging by the immense smell of alcohol, he guessed his buddy was seriously drunk.

Gohan knew that eventually he would need to just suck it up, interrupt Angela's sleep, find Sharpner, and get out of the party, his friends safe and sound. His thoughts drifted back to the similarities between Angela and himself before that could happen, however, causing Gohan to become absorbed in his thoughts.

He really did love his father. Goku never really had his priorities in order, but whenever he _was _around, it was clear as day that he greatly cared for Gohan, his mother, and his brother. Son Goku was also a very realistic person and didn't offer promises he might not be able to keep. Honesty and straightforwardness were probably his most redeeming qualities. Gohan could remember many a family vacation where he and his father hit it off admirably. He never understood whether his father was a full-fledged alcoholic or a drug-user, but, on occasion, he would be overly violent. The courts classified it as abuse and explicitly saw one such instance as attempted murder. His mother still loved him despite everything, and Gohan had high hopes things could return to normal, the way they were pre-pregnancy, since his father was scheduled to be released from prison in two months.

The guy hadn't even met Goten yet, which was a real shame as far as Gohan was concerned, given their near identical appearances. Goten was also a real handful, but he was mostly energetic and translated all the excess energy into positive vibes and an overall aura of joy and excitement.

His thoughts of joyous seven-year olds and sibling bonding time were interrupted when the mane of red hair resting on his shoulder stirred and Angela sat up, facing him.

"Hi Gohan," she muttered. She yawned and covered her mouth with one of her hands. "What time is it?"

Upon checking her charcoal black wristwatch, Angela jumped up suddenly. "Oh man!" she exclaimed, "It's past one a.m... I was supposed to meet Erasa forty-five minutes ago!" Angela began gathering her belongings in a mad rush, checking and double checking her pockets for her phone and wallet. After noticing all of her things intact, the cheerful redhead waved at Gohan and began walking outside.

"Wait, Angela!" Gohan called after her retreating form. Said girl spun around, arching a curious eyebrow. "Let me find Sharpner, then we can all walk back to campus together, okay? Maybe Sharpner and Erasa can become friends, too."

"Sorry Gohan," Angela apologized, "but I promised her I'd walk back with her alone. It was something about finding another friend of hers. I dunno."

"Okay," Gohan relented, "if you say so. Just be careful walking back, all right?" The spiky-haired boy sighed as Angela's silhouette disappeared down the corridor; he then began his search for Sharpner, grabbing the closest drink when his pleasant buzz began to die down.

...

A new friend. A genuine, true, compassionate, _cute _friend. It was sort of a shame that he was already friendzoned, but Angela wasn't stupid and recognized the value in a best friend who was trustworthy and kind just as much as the next person. She still wished faintly in the back of her mind that he was attainable as a boyfriend and not just a close friend.

The redheaded girl had just walked outside the front door of the house and was gazing up into the gorgeous night sky. Stars decorated the deep blue air magnificently, each one shining brighter than its neighbors. It almost showed Angela that beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

What had gotten into her recently? They say that university is a fresh start, a chance to wipe the slate clean and pretend previous lives never existed. It was true, in a sense, she supposed.

In high school, her reputation as promiscuous and flirty would've scared off someone as innocent and kind as Gohan, but here at university no such thing occurred, and she could not have been happier. Maybe having a friend as splendid as Gohan would cure her of her curse; every single guy she'd ever been with had used her, basically. She accepted it at the time, but now wanted a kind and sweet guy, like Gohan, for instance.

So lost in her thoughts Angela was that she didn't notice Erasa walk up beside her. "Have a nice night, Angela?"

Angela jumped right out of her skin, scared to death from Erasa's sneak attack. Once she had calmed down, Angela registered her blonde roommate's question in her mind. "Oh, it was nice actually," she replied. Nice didn't begin to describe it but she didn't want to give Erasa the wrong impression. Random dudes thinking she was a slut? Fine. A girl who she would be living with for the next ten months to a year? No thanks.

Angela just then noticed the faraway look in Erasa's eyes and instantly recognized it for what it was; a girl who had met a cute guy and perhaps even gone somewhere with him. "Erasa," she started, "how was _your _night?" She punctuated her remark with a wink after drawing out the word 'your' for emphasis.

Erasa fiercely blushed and looked away, mumbling what sounded like 'fine' under her breath.

Angela wasn't buying any of it, however, and pressed the issue. "What's his name, girl?" The question was simple enough, but the increasingly deep red hue gracing Erasa's cheeks sold her out and confirmed Angela's suspicions - it _was _a guy.

"His name is Sharpner," Erasa supplied once Angela made it clear the situation wouldn't just disappear. Who wouldn't want to know this?

"Sharpner!" Angela gasped, immediately covering her mouth. She'd _met _the man who had Erasa weak in the knees? That same Sharpner? How was that even possible? Sure, Sharpner was a decent-looking man, but he came off as somewhat of a player. At least, more so of a player than Gohan.

"Yes," Erasa responded. "Why, do you know him?"

"Yeah, I think I met him. Taller than us, long blonde hair, carries himself confidently, right?" Angela asked.

"Yes, that's right," she answered.

"I met him much earlier," Angela stated, "When I met that Gohan kid, remember?" After meeting Gohan and Sharpner at their room, the redhead immediately told Erasa everything about the encounter, including how cute Gohan was.

"Oh, that was the other kid. You didn't mention how adorable he is!" Erasa admonished. "Hey, did you see that Gohan kid again, anyway?"

Angela felt mortified and couldn't escape the blush burning her cheeks. She should've expected her roommate to ask about Gohan if she mentioned him! Dammit!

"Ooh, someone's blushing!" Erasa teased. There was a playful glint to her words which comforted Angela somewhat.

"We met up before the party and spent a lot of time together at the party," Angela explained, earning a chorus of whistles from Erasa. "Nothing happened, though," she continued, "and we kind of just talked a lot about various things. We decided it was better to remain friends. He's really sweet."

"Aw, shucks!" Erasa proclaimed. "I was hoping perhaps we could double date, especially if Gohan is as cute as you say he is. Anyway, let's go, I told her we'd be there awhile ago. I'm hungry!"

...

Waking up to a pool of your own vomit was something Sharpner has experienced merely a handful of times in his entire life. It never became more pleasant, always resulting in a feeling of uselessness and helplessness. It usually also came accompanied by some person assisting him, holding his shoulders steady, or steering him clear of actually _being _in said pool.

"Hey, bro. You're alive," a voice to his side said, clearly relieved.

Sharpner, recognizing the voice as his best friend's, and glanced up, not surprised to find Gohan tending to him. Man, what had happened? Where was he?

A flood of tumultuous emotions invaded his mind all at once: kissing Erasa, spotting her outside asleep on the bench, regretting his spontaneous assault of her lips and, finally, collapsing on the floor due to excessive amount of alcohol.

"Ugh," Sharpner mumbled, holding his head. "What happened, Gohan?" he inquired.

"I don't really know, Sharpner," his best friend offered lamely. "I just found you passed out and hunched over near a couch. The guy nearby said you'd collapsed in a heap on the floor earlier. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I think," Sharpner muttered. "Where's Angela? Weren't you with her when I left you? Please tell me you didn't just sit around all night." He wouldn't have been super surprised if Gohan had just remained in one place and done absolutely _nothing _for the entire duration of the party.

"Uh, she had to go," Gohan explained, "and I think she was meeting a friend; Erasa, if I remember-"

"Did you say Erasa, dude?" the blonde haired boy interrupted. Could Erasa have been telling the truth? Perhaps, Sharpner dared to hope, she really _was _waiting for a friend, and he'd just misinterpreted the situation. The amount of booze he'd consumed could account for that, he supposed.

"Yeah. She mentioned something about meeting her roommate, Erasa. Why, you know her?" Gohan arched a curious brow whilst asking his best friend the question, and Sharpner supposed he did sound overly curious.

"I kissed her, Gohan. I spent the entire evening with a beautiful blonde named Erasa, who ended up leaving to meet someone. The last thing I remember," Sharpner recollected while scratching his head, "before passing out is seeing Erasa asleep on the bench. At first," he continued, "I thought she had blown me off, but apparently she was just waiting for Angela to get there." The blonde male sighed in relief at this realization, clearly overjoyed.

It took Gohan several second to collect his varying thoughts and speak. "So, you like her then, I hope?"

Sharpner gazed over at his best friend, annoyed. "Yes, Gohan, I do. Normally when I've kissed a girl I don't make this big a deal out it. You of all people know this," he added.

"That's a good point," Gohan agreed. "So what're you going to do?"

"Well, first you tell me about Angela." Sharpner grinned, thinking his best friend might have forgotten about that little piece of the night.

Gohan began scratching the back of his neck nervously at those words. Sweat ran down his neck as he stuttered incoherently, attempting to speak full sentences. "I-uh-um," he finally managed to croak out. "We just kinda talked. Nothing major," Gohan said almost nonchalantly.

Sharpner didn't believe the other boy for even one second, but decided to play along. "What did you guys talk _about_, Gohan?" He smirked triumphantly when his pal began laughing, clearly trying to hide something. "Did you kiss her, you sly dog?"

"N-no!" Gohan exclaimed heatedly. "We honestly just talked. She seems really nice and we discussed some... personal business," he mumbled, trailing off. "We didn't talk about anything else, really!"

"Fine, fine, let's say I believe you," he relented. "How do we contact either of the girls?" Sharpner queried.

Gohan put his hand on Sharpner's head before speaking, "Exactly how much _did _you drink, buddy? Erasa slipped you her phone number... I found it in your pocket. Plus they're in our building, so I'm sure we'll run into them sooner or later.

"Oh, okay," the blonde boy conceded weakly. "You still need to tell me more about your night, Gohan."

"Later, Sharpner, later," Gohan stated. "Let's go back to the room for now."

...

The walk back took longer than she would've liked, but Erasa supposed she couldn't have everything she wanted. When she'd awoke from her nighttime nap and discovered Angela nearby, it was a huge relief. She didn't want to keep her best friend waiting more than she already had, after all.

Both of the girls were less than sober, which caused them to make the return trip to campus quite a bit more adventurous than the walk to the party.

When Erasa had left her dorm en route to the party, she hadn't had to deal with campus security since she was simply exiting the grounds. Now, though, the guards were alert, probably on the look out for first-year students under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

"Hey Erasa," Angela asked, breaking the silence, "you're good enough to get through security, right?"

"Of course!" she chirped. "Don't worry about that, I'm fine."

The duo walked through the silver turnstile, swiping their room keys to officially re-enter campus grounds. Angela stumbled slightly on a rock but saved her dignity by avoiding an embarrassing fall. The security officer quirked an eyebrow but then returned to the next students at the gate, seemingly shrugging off Angela's misstep.

Erasa giggled lightly once they'd reached a safe enough distance away from the main entrance. "Angela!" she exclaimed, "You almost fell." She covered her mouth and stifled a few laughs from escaping her throat, knowing that the first laugh would launch her into hysterics.

Angela offered just a 'hmph' in response as she lifted her chin. "I'm glad you find my misfortunes so hilarious, Erasa. Why don't we just go get changed and meet this friend of yours at the dining hall, okay?"

Regaining control of her emotions, Erasa nodded in agreement and scurried off to the bathroom, a fresh pair of jeans and a low-cut tee shirt in tow. After closing the door, she examined her appearance in the shiny, polished mirror, relishing in how she looked. Her appearance was always something she cared deeply about, which made it all the better that she liked the way she presented herself tonight. It certainly caught the eye of Sharpner, that was for sure. She even received an opportunity to play hard-to-get, much to her own amusement. That entire sequence had delighted her, from the look in his eyes when she challenged him to the way they parted, basking in the afterglow of a kiss.

"Hey Angela!" Erasa called from the bathroom. "Can you toss me my toothbrush, toothpaste, and perfume from my pocketbook? My mouth and body absolutely reek of alcohol and I don't want to go meet her smelling like this!"

Moments later, Angela opened the bathroom door a tad, peering in. "Here you go, hon," she said, before quickly departing, leaving Erasa to her thoughts once more. As a young teen, Erasa's teeth hadn't been completely straight, necessitating braces. The metal box-like structures joined with a thin, metal retainer to fix the issue of crooked teeth, but she had to sacrifice her smile for awhile in order to have a more beautiful long-term smile. The cleanliness and pure white tint of her teeth had _always _been a point of pride. Having to try to score dates with cute high school guys with two disadvantages - being a middle schooler and having braces - depressed her, but she supposed she was far better off now.

She sprayed her petite body with wonderfully scented strawberry perfume and snapped the lid back on, stowing it away for another time. Sprucing up her hair, Erasa decided she'd finished fixing her previously disheveled appearance and it was time to leave.

Angela was waiting right where she expected her to be, outfitted in new clothes and sitting at the foot of the bed. "Come on Angela," she started, "let's go to the dining hall."

The pair left their Kenley dorm building once more, but instead of making to leave campus, they turned towards the center of the grounds and began moseying over to the university cafeteria, slowly but surely. Within a few minutes they had arrived at the large, rectangular building. The outside was complete with emerald green posters plastered all over, and the inside walls were a mixtures of gray, white, and silver - essentially a light shade with various different tints. Erasa proceeded through the swiping station first and waited for Angela to follow. The duo didn't know exactly where to go, so they decided to put first things first and go retrieve some food then make a decision about where to sit.

Being the middle of the night, the selection of foods available varied from old-fashioned pancakes and breakfast foods to delicious looking quick-to-make foods such as hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and pizza. There were also, of course, healthy choices consisting entirely of vegetable, fruits, and the such, but neither girl was interested in anything other than the breakfast foods and a few glasses of water.

Given the amount Erasa had drank, she opted first for some cereal doused in milk and a cold glass of water, her favorite combination of things to stave off a hangover. Angela chose a little differently, scooping up a pair of pancakes and some eggs before pouring syrup and salt on her foods, respectively. Both girls gathered the appropriate utensils then met up again and began searching for a table to situate themselves at and wait.

The entire first floor was completely filled, much to Erasa's surprise, so the two girls ascended a spiraling flight of stairs to the upper level and sat down at the first table they saw, which was conveniently near a television.

The program currently airing on the television took Erasa by surprise, so she asked the person closest to it to raise the volume:

"He is the man who has put away convicted murderers, felons, arsonists, thieves, rapists, and all of your average-run-of-the-mill criminals all over West City and Orange Star City. Our very own Kelly Veld has secured an exclusive interview with the man of the hour himself. He recently delivered the verdict which arraigned nineteen middle age men on charges of narcotic trafficking and intent to sell, shutting down an explosive ring in the criminal underground. He is... Judge Hercule Satan!"

**Yeah, that's the chapter. Kano and Tari are both cameos for my beta, Kanotari :D Maxi is Gohan-to-the-Max and Leb is kalebxdd. **

**Thanks for reading and please review.**


	3. Miss Tean

**Hey! I got this chapter out much faster, lol. I am going away this weekend and probably won't have much time to work on it, if I even have Wi-Fi at the house, but when I get back I'll continue working on this story immediately. The workload for school should be calming down for the next few weeks which will be amazing. I just need to thank my awesome beta Kanotari once again for editing this chapter for me. Hope you enjoy the chapter. **

Sitting in his bedroom, Gohan couldn't help but toss and turn on his bed, trying to find a comfortable position in order to sleep. After their talk, he and Sharpner had decided to come back to their dorm building, but opted to explore the other floors and floor lounges to familiarize themselves with where they would live for the next year. It was in the third floor lounge that Gohan noticed the television turned on and a man he despised very much on the screen- Hercule Satan.

He was a praised and honored judge who resided in Orange Star City but reigned supreme over most of the courts in West City, North City, South City, East City, residential villages, and Orange Star City. Simply put, the man was arguably the most powerful man in the world outside of King Furry himself.

It was heavily rumored that Judge Satan was accepting bribes under the table and might even _be_ the ringleader of some criminal organizations, co-conspiring to trample the rest of the criminal underworld. In appearance alone, the man appeared gruff and intimidating, complemented by a thick, charcoal-black bear, a large bulging afro, and a chocolate brown business suit which he wore everywhere. The public adored him because he funded many of the police departments and supplied them with enough cash to hire more able bodies. All in all, crime was definitely down.

Currently, the gruff judge was responding to many questions, so Gohan decided to listen in.

"Mister Satan, how do you reply to those pundits who say you're just a benefactor of circumstance? That any judge could have lowered the crime rates given the increasing wealth of the main five cities?"

"That's preposterous!" Judge Satan bellowed in his annoying voice, causing Gohan to sigh and put his face in his hands. "I'm one of the most powerful men in the world, helping people every day, doing one good deed after another," he boasted.

"Mister Satan," the reporter began, "how much longer do you think you have before you start to wind down?"

"Me? Wind down? Never!" Judge Satan responded.

"Turn... it... off..." Gohan moaned. Sharpner, seeing his friend's distress, grabbed the remote and flipped over to the North City Hornets' football game, just in time to see their wide receiver score a touchdown.

"Hey... are you okay, Gohan?" he asked. His voice dripped with concern which made Gohan smile genuinely.

"You know how much I don't like him, Sharpner," Gohan answered, "but I'll be fine." Not liking him was a vast understatement, but describing in detail how he hated the man would probably be a bit on the overkill side.

"I know, I know. He put your pop away in jail," Sharpner stated, "I get that, Gohan, I really do. I never met your dad and some of his choices are... questionable in my opinion, but you seem to have a great respect for him, and I know you miss him dearly."

"It came to mind earlier, when I was with Angela; Dad has never even met Goten," the spiky-haired teen said as he internally regretted the situation, "and the tyke will already be almost a decade old by the time he does. It's just not fair. I know he hurt my mom, and he probably did deserve to go to jail, but it still stinks. I miss him," Gohan finished.

Sharpner never really offered a legitimate response to Gohan's heartfelt miniature monologue, so the black-haired kid allowed his mind to drift once more. It seemed borderline impossible to think of anything other than his father, Goku, right now, and it upset him greatly.

Deciding to strike up conversation about their night once more, Gohan asked his best friend, "Did you meet anyone else other than Erasa, bro?" Gohan's curiosity was stirred when Sharpner gulped, almost nervously.

"Yeah, I did," he replied, "I met a kid named Leb. He was pretty nice, but he seemed like some trouble waiting to happen. The kid reeked of marijuana, too, and whipped out drug paraphernalia just as I left." Sharpner fiddled with his thumbs, continuing to look both guilty and nervous as Gohan digested the new information. "I also asked him," Sharpner elaborated, "if he had any hook-ups should I, or we, ever want to smoke." He then remained silent while Gohan considered this and braced his ears when his friend began giving him a tongue lashing.

"You what!? Why, Sharpner? Drinking is one thing, but drugs! That's a whole different ballgame. It's like saying going undefeated is the same thing as winless!" Gohan appeared seething, demanding an explanation out of his best friend.

"I just felt you needed to lighten up, relax, and unwind. I've heard that weed is a good recreational drug for relaxation purposes," Sharpner continued, "so I figured it would be good to have connections in place should you ever decide otherwise."

"Really? You feel I need to unwind and relax, buddy? Do tell," Gohan stated, his tone taking on an uncharacteristically venomous hint to it, almost daring Sharpner to answer not to his satisfaction.

"Maybe I worded that wrong," the blonde amended. "It's not that you need to unwind, per se... but I think you should explore the world more. Like, yesterday or last night or whatever, for instance, you didn't know what nail polish was." Gohan blushed despite himself at the reminder. "I feel like it'll be better for both of us, what with new beginnings and all. You don't have to try weed immediately, but maybe in time?"

"I'll loosely - _very _loosely, that is - consider it, Sharpner," Gohan responded.

"Hey bud, we're done down here, right?" Sharpner queried, gesturing to a few people littered across the room staring impatiently at the duo. Upon receiving a nod, the blonde boy led the way out of the lounge, Gohan in tow.

Within a few minutes, the pair had re-entered their own bedroom after swiping a key card at the entrance. After entering the room, Gohan quickly set up a video game and turned the entertainment system on. Sharpner raised an eyebrow inquisitively but nonetheless hopped onto his bed without a peep.

Gohan ended up playing racing games continuously for several hours, even after Sharpner had fallen asleep, trying to occupy his mind from wandering thoughts. He eventually fell asleep with the TV screen still on and the video game in a constant loop, showing his turtle-like character dancing around. The camera would occasionally pan out to a lush blue sky, complete with a bright yellow sun at its center, which is the last thing Gohan remembered before knocking out.

...

Why? Why did she leave her parent's carefully planned fortune and marry early? Everywhere she went, _whenever _it was discovered that her parents were multi-millionaires and owners of a significant portion of West City, she would be asked why she eloped or why she abandoned the 'great' and 'magnificent' Dr. Brief. She honestly didn't feel like answering any more pointless questions, considering the fact that nobody actually knew her, the person.

Growing up as the most important teenager in an entire city, it was difficult for Bulma Brief to escape the spotlight. She was always adventurous and wild, scouring the city for willing accomplices in any and all activities. That's how she met Goku after all.

'_Goku'_

She met the wild-haired boy when she was in the middle of her teens. Her father was inventing something crazy and insane, so she decided to explore the surrounding area. Some half-baked crook decided it was a decent idea to charge at her with a knife in the middle of a populated area. The guy succeeded in injuring her seriously, but didn't account for any backlash from the civilian population whatsoever, causing a junior police officer named Goku to apply handcuffs. He also knew extensive amounts of first aid and resuscitated her, allowing her lost blood to be replenished.

She really couldn't pinpoint where exactly her best friend had strayed... well, she could, but it brought pain to her head every single time, thinking about that fateful day.

The beautiful heiress was so completely absorbed in her thoughts that her husband's gruff voice invading her ear nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

"Hey Bulma," Vegeta whispered into her ear, "what are you thinking about? It's only six a.m., come back to bed."

Bulma sighed before turning around and pressing her lips softly to Vegeta's rough ones. She and Vegeta had needed to take care of a hyperactive seven-year-old in Goten, which prevented them from having any discernable alone time in the past day. Oh, how she longed for her husband's hands roaming her body and teasing her.

"Not now, Vegeta. I hear Trunks in the kitchen." Bulma's body was arguing vehemently against her mind, wishing to cave to Vegeta's wishes and be ravaged, but she couldn't. At least, not until Trunks was fed and at school.

"Vegeta, do you think Goku will have changed due to prison?" she asked.

"Hn. I only met the guy once or twice, how would I know?"

Bulma sighed in exasperation at her husband's antics. Goku was literally the _only _touchy subject between them. For all the years she was simultaneously friends with both Goku and Vegeta, they'd seen each other _maybe _twice; her husband wasn't exaggerating there. Vegeta had always been defensive whenever Goku was mentioned, apparently viewing the younger man as a threat to their relationship. Despite countless reassurances that there was never anything between them, Bulma knew Vegeta never bought it.

"Would you stop with that attitude, babe?" Bulma asked her husband. "You were a _model_. Your body is magnificent and we both have that rebellious, anti-society thing going on. Okay? Relax, Vegeta."

Vegeta only grunted to acknowledge he heard her, then turned away, clearly annoyed. She sighed again and kissed her soulmate on the cheek before leaving to tend to her eight-year-old son.

Even as she left her bedroom, her earlier question was eating away at her conscience. She'd known Chi Chi for an extremely long time, and ever since _that _day, Goku had been distinctly different. Who knows what prison did to a man who was in his own prison for so long?

...

Waking up out his peaceful slumber, Hercule Satan stretched out his arms, feeling them burn in agony. Despite being a judge, and a damn good one at that, the burly man needed to work out regularly in order to maintain his hulking, athletic frame. After his latest such workout, his arms and legs had been killing him - it seemed that he had underestimated the intensity of his workout and hadn't received sufficient rest beforehand.

He had regrets in his life to be sure, most of them feeling guilty about sentencing men that the public would have torn him apart for acquitting. Men he truly felt could have been innocent from judging their personal character, but who were clearly guilty in the eye of the law and had mountains of evidence stacked up against them.

Hercule sat on the edge of his bed and thoughtfully ran a hand through his afro. He was a good person, but had many, many enemies, and for what? Sure, crime was legitimately on the downfall, but the pundits were mostly correct that this decrease wasn't due to him and his slew of judges but rather the increased efficiency of the police force itself and the fact that humanity seemed to just be getting less and less violent.

Glancing back at his bed, he spied a small, square, wooden frame on the nightstand adjacent to his bed. He looked at the picture and was reminded why exactly he had become a judge - to appropriately sentence those responsible for his wife's murder.

His wife... She was a courageous and outgoing woman, to be sure. He missed her dearly and probably wouldn't be a judge if he hadn't lost the love of his life permanently in such a horrific manner. She was brutally bludgeoned to death, leaving barely a corpse to lay in the casket.

His daughter, Videl, had taken it toughest of anybody to be sure, crying her eyes out constantly for weeks on end. It didn't help Hercule that his lone child looked like a carbon copy of his late wife; in fact, it still made him weep in despair on occasion.

The story of Videl's mother's ruthless murder brought the family some minor publicity, which quickly grew into major publicity and led to Hercule stepping in as the judge to take over when the sitting judge was killed.

Of course, he wasn't proud of the way he handled the publicity. He probably alienated his daughter... he didn't even know where she was right now. With the interview yesterday, he'd dropped her off with his sister, tasking her with responsibility of settling Videl into her new university.

He neglected his only daughter... how could he? The powerful man immediately grabbed the nearest telephone and dialed the seven-digit number for his daughter's cell phone. After two or three rings, Videl picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, honey," Hercule greeted. "How is your university treating you?" He gulped nervously while awaiting a response, realizing for the umpteenth time how he needed to dedicate a much larger proportion of his life to his daughter.

"Uh...It is going well actually, Dad." Hercule could practically hear the disbelief in her voice. He smiled despite his insecurities. Being the daughter of a world-famous judge was probably extremely difficult, he reminded himself. She had always wanted to escape his shadow once he became famous, and attending a university outside the limits of Orange Star City presented the ideal situation.

"That's awesome, honey," he said, before adding, "did you make any new friends yet or have you just stayed true to your roots so far?"

"Not yet, Dad. How did that interview go, by the way?" Videl added.

"Ha!" Hercule bellowed, his confidence back. "It went as well as they usually do, so basically boring as hell, honey."

"That stinks, Dad. There's a parent visiting weekend in about a month. Are you going to come out here for that?"

Hercule quickly fetched his scheduling pad and nodded silently upon seeing nothing scribbled in for that weekend. "Sure thing, Videl! Wouldn't miss it for the world!" He added the last bit to reassure his daughter that he was serious. "It's still early. Why don't you go eat some breakfast, Videl?"

"Oh, sure thing, Dad. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

Hercule hung up the phone after that, immediately standing up off of his bed and exiting his bedroom. His mansion wasn't _too _over the top - it was large in size, to be sure, but still maintained elements of the cozy, welcoming home he and his small family had occupied on the outskirts of Orange Star City before the judge development hit.

His footsteps caused the steps to creak beneath his weight as he slowly descended to the bottom floor of his abode. "Alexa!" he called, beckoning for his maid to come to him. "I need to go visit Videl at her university in roughly a month," he added once she arrived, "so I need that entire stretch of time devoid of obligations, understand?"

"Sir," Alexa respectfully began, "what if you need to hear a court case?"

"I'm the most important judge in all of Orange Star City, and I haven't taken a vacation day in several years. They can deal with it." With that, Hercule stormed out of the room, intent on raiding his refrigerator.

His kitchen was expansive and glamorous, causing him to wince in pain - his wife nor Videl liked extravagant amenities and here he was enjoying them without either of the women he loved. The refrigerator contained a pitch black pull-out freezer in the bottom compartment, fully equipped with ice cubes galore and an internal temperature-taking mechanism.

Hercule opened the refrigerator and removed an oddly shaped bottle of maple syrup then began gathering the ingredients for a batch of pancakes. In the wake of his talk with Videl and interview the previous day, a relaxing morning meal at his own table sounded stellar. Resolved to do just that, the burly judge began creating the pancake batter.

...

Prison was a very boring and inane place to reside.

As a man who once aspired solely to help people and met his wife on this basis, prison was a miserable place to be. To live amongst those you strived to detain and bring to justice wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

Where had things gone so horribly wrong? He'd been sitting in this gray, uninviting cell for more than half a decade and was twice denied the opportunity for parole. Sure, parole wouldn't have been the most fun thing in the world, but it sure beat the fuck out of skimpy meals once, maybe twice per day and a dust covered bed that was waiting to fall off its springs.

He really did love his family. He loved his friends and never intended to hurt them whatsoever, yet there was significant evidence to support the notion he was a homicidal, abusive maniac looking to increase an imaginary kill count. Hell, he hadn't even _met _his second son.

So many crazy events had gone down in such a short period of time; Gohan probably didn't even know most of the events that had occurred himself. He knew Chi Chi forgave him immediately, but, still, Chi Chi, the love of his life, was injured as a direct result of his actions.

The guilt Son Goku had lived with for over seven years was beginning to mount up, since during her last visit Chi Chi had informed him his eldest child was applying for college. That had been over nine months ago, meaning Gohan would be entering university for the fall semester right around now.

That damned judge had sentenced him so unfairly, not even allowing significant visitation rights for his wife and _never _allowing either of his sons to visit. While Goku wasn't a particularly violent person, to have his son's grow up essentially fatherless tore him apart inside and made his blood boil. He didn't even understand exactly what the judge had against him, but the rumblings inside this security prison were clear as day; he was at least partially dirty.

Everyone inside knew the story of Hercule and Videl Satan, the father and daughter struck by tragedy years ago. The elder Satan had become a judge some time before Goku's crime and presided over the hearings, eventually delivering the crushing verdict.

"Hey, you! Son guy!" a guard called out to him. "Your nighttime meal is here." With that, the security guard slipped a small styrofoam plate through the dog flap and Goku could hear footsteps leaving his cell.

Setting his food aside, Goku once again became absorbed in his thoughts. When he was finally released from prison, there were lots of loose ends to tie up and he really needed to do some digging. The first place he would go would be his deceased grandfather's old friend, seeking information wherever he could find it.

The only clue he had to the identity of the man who potentially bribed Hercule was a retreating form he once spotted with the burly judge. From afar, all he could see was an 'en' inscribed across his back along with a red and yellow wristband adorning his wrists. It didn't give him much to go off of, but it was certainly better than nothing.

He also needed to handle his little _problem _once he got out of prison, but that would be less difficult than solving the mystery of why he was put in prison in the first place. He really just hoped Gohan was still clueless as to the entire situation. Bulma, probably Vegeta, and his wife all knew, but he'd taken precautions to prevent anyone else from getting entangled in his mess.

The rest of his old friends from West City were never allowed to visit him, which saddened him, but he understood partially where they were coming from. Seven years was an extremely long time and each of two best buddies were probably consumed in their own lives, whether it be romantically or work-related.

He silently pondered to himself whether or not either had settled down with a nice girl. They were each chasing after their love interested the last he'd heard of them before his detainment and arraignment - that had been a few weeks before everything spiralled out of control. He didn't even know if his friends knew the circumstances which eventually resulted in this debacle.

Goku turned to his bland tray of food and sighed, picking up the plastic utensils and digging in to the unappetizing meal. The pile of grub consisted of broccoli, peas that looked more like trash, and chicken that tasted like salty plastic. Goku didn't care all too much since he was simply starving, but it still assaulted his taste buds and nearly triggered his regurgitation reflexes.

The prisoner grabbed a white plastic cup and filled it with water from the tap before washing away the disgusting taste. This was how it always was in jail; brooding guards who barely spoke, revolting... _things_... that they labelled food, leaving Goku to be absorbed in his thoughts constantly.

He'd long ago made it his mission to solve the mystery of why Judge Satan wished so badly to lock him up, and began calculating ways to figure out the situation when he was released in two months, relaxing his head against the prison cell wall, drifting into a state of nirvana.

...

Waking up the morning after becoming extremely intoxicated was always unpleasant. Despite not even being in his twenties, this was becoming too much of a regular occurrence for Sharpner.

Sharpner decided to reminisce back to the previous evening, thinking of all the alcohol he consumed, the various kind of liquors and beers, and most of all to the kiss he planted on Erasa's lips.

His memory was a bit foggy after that until he woke up with Gohan next to him and a puddle of his own guts spilled in front of him. From there all he remembered was going to the lounge and seeing that fool Hercule Satan on the flat screen TV monitor, gallivanting about, feeding lies to the general population. The thought angered the blonde teen, but he kept his feelings in check much better than his black-haired best friend, who didn't understand the meaning of the word _restraint_.

Peering over at Gohan, he couldn't help but smile genuinely at the peaceful expression adorning the boy's face. Having to shoulder the load of the responsibilities for both your distraught mother and fatherless brother from age eleven onward was an extremely huge thing to ask, and Gohan always did whatever he was asked. The side effect was that he wasn't able to carry out a normal early adolescence and was still scarred from the aftereffects of his father's imprisonment.

Their dormitory room was deathly quiet, with all windows closed, all electronics turned off, and Gohan not snoring, leaving Sharpner to his thoughts. Should he call Erasa? Would it be too abrupt... would it even perhaps come off as desperate? How was he so bad at this kind of thing? He _had _dating experience, unlike Gohan, and yet he was acting like a ten year old contemplating cooties.

He decided to wait at least a little while before calling Erasa and coming off as borderline sad, something he definitely did not want to do. He toyed around with his cell phone before opening his contacts and dialing his mother - after all, he'd overslept so it was a decent enough hour.

Three rings in, Sharpner's mother picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey mom, it's me, Sharpner," he started off. There was a barely perceptible drag in his voice, indicating tiredness.

"Oh, hi! How was your first night, dear?" His mother's cheeriness was impossible to avoid, lifting his spirits instantaneously.

"It was pretty fun, I made some new friends and hung out with Gohan for a while. Nothing too exciting," Sharpner lied straight through his teeth. Not that his mother really cared; as a mother-son combination, they'd adopted a 'don't ask, don't tell' rule so it was guaranteed Sharpner could do essentially whatever he pleased now that he was in college.

"That's excellent, honey. I'm glad. Did you eat any food today, yet? I hear the dining hall has really good breakfast, especially this early in the year. They want to make a good first impression on first-year students or something..."

Sharpner starting tuning out his mother, instead focusing on the layout of their room; they really did an admirable job organizing everything to their liking. The electronic devices were all neatly tucked into tight spots and the beds were situation in such a way to maximize space.

"Did you get all that, Sharpner?" His mother saying his name roused him from starting at the wall, realizing he was being addressed.

"Yeah, mom, I got it. I'll go eat breakfast."

"I was saying Chi Chi asked me to tell you to watch after Gohan!" his mother screamed into the telephone receiver. "Were you even listening to me?"

Sharpner held the ear away from his phone while his mother rambled on about paying attention and respecting his elders. He _did _respect his mother, but man could she talk a guy's ear off. He just didn't feel like focusing all of his attention on something which was assuredly useless.

After a few seconds, fifteen or so, Sharpner put the phone back to his ear and said, "Mom, I've got to go. I'll talk to you soon," and promptly hung up to avoid a scolding from her.

Noticing Gohan still sleeping soundly, Sharpner decided to leave the room and get some fresh air, reflecting on his first twenty-four hours as a university student in the process. He walked through the main entrance to Kenley building, passing a handful of security personnel as he went, before swinging open the front door and walking over to a brown, wooden bench.

He sat down on the seat and placed his head in his hands, contemplating what to do.

"Hi. Is this seat taken?" came a voice to his right, which he immediately recognized.

"No, it isn't Angela, go ahead." During his previous meetings with the flirtatious redhead had been with Gohan, so this would be a welcome, and new, experience. He wanted to talk to her about Erasa anyway and make sure she didn't regret anything that had happened.

Angela struck first conversation, addressing Sharpner. "So I guess there's a lot we can talk about. I hear you met Erasa last night," she added with a sly wink, eliciting a blush from the boy adjacent to her.

"I did, and I think she's a really sweet and beautiful woman," Sharpner responded, laying it on thick. He did want to make a good first 'official' impression on Angela; that could do wonders for any chance he has with Erasa.

"Hmm... I see," Angela started. "You don't have any bad intentions for my new friend, right?" Angela slipped into interrogative mode at the drop of a hat, stunning Sharpner. This is the girl whose personality his best friend found so alluring? She was going to be around a lot, he supposed, dreading these constant interrogations should he try to seriously date Erasa.

"No, I like her. She's quite awesome; I'll probably ask her out after I get to know her a little more. Why don't we discuss your intentions with _my _best friend," Sharpner said, turning the tables.

Angela stuttered and blushed a bit at the mere mention of Gohan. "He just wants to be friends, and I want to respect his wishes. He's a very nice guy," she continued, "and guys like him don't come along too often. I would know."

Sharpner quirked an eyebrow at her comment, thinking back to many times Gohan had rescued him from a pickle. "He told me that you two talked about Gohan's past... I just want you to realize that his past is a very sensitive topic," he warned, "and that you'll have to deal with me if you hurt him. We've reached an agreement, correct?" he pressed. "We're going to be around each other quite often if I date Erasa and your friendship with Gohan continues to blossom, so I think it's important that we get each other, right?"

"I do," the redhead concurred. "I want to be friends with everyone. It's weird, you know? University is an opportunity to reinvent yourself, to start fresh. I never would've imagined meeting you and Gohan on my first day," she stated, sending Sharpner her first real smile in their brief interactions. "You're not so bad."

"Yeah, university is all that it's hyped up to be. That party last night was pretty awesome," Sharpner laughed, leaning back on the bench. "I used to be less open initially, before I met Gohan. I kind of shelled up inside my own little turtle and barely spoke," he said. "Gohan really brought out a different side; he's a really good friend."

Angela pushed off the bench with her palms, joyously hopping to her feet. "I need to go now, I'll catch you later, okay Sharpner?" Not waiting for an answer, the girl scurried off, checking her wristwatch for the time as she went.

Sharpner sat on the bench, mulling things over for a few more minutes before collecting himself and going back into Kenley, intent on waking up Gohan.

...

After leaving Sharpner, Angela decided to walk off campus to a local pizzeria. Sure, she had a meal plan and could just purchase the grub provided by the university, but good old-fashioned West City pizza easily topped anything she had available to her in school. One of the things West City was most famous for was actually its deep dish pizza, which was baked and soaked in marinara sauce, creating a thick and large pie.

She was due to meet Erasa at the pizzeria to grab a bite to eat, probably a slice or two each, before they explored campus. Their campus was rather gigantic, necessitating a few trips around it before they actually got the hang of it.

She arrived at the tiny restaurant first and was seated by the portly waiter. Grasping a menu between her hands, she flicked through the pages searching for the right combination of toppings which would maximize the taste. The waiter returned a few moments later with a clean notepad and a ballpoint, blue pen.

"Can I get you anything to drink, miss?" he inquired.

"I'm okay right now," Angela replied. "I'm waiting on a friend right now. We might get something to sip on when she gets here. We'll see."

The waiter then abandoned the table, leaving Angela to her thoughts. Her encounter with Sharpner had been both promising and awkward at the same time, which troubled her a little. If she were to remain friends with Gohan over the long haul, forging at the very least something resembling a friendship would be necessary.

It's not like she necessarily had any reason to _detest _Sharpner, but something just didn't sit right with her. He wasn't even particularly arrogant, but he still rubbed her the way those high school manwhores would, and she expressly forbade herself from traveling down that path once again. Been there, done that, as the saying went.

Angela allowed her thoughts to get the better of her and began reminiscing back to her deceased sibling. Her sister was born when Angela was approximately twelve years old, and she could still picture the serene facial expression the young baby had when she would nestle herself into her mother's chest. Angela loved her sister, and when that girl died, a part of her was never the same. At the time, she was entering high school as a sheltered girl but immediately capitalizing on her looks to get her way and never looked back.

The routine became boring right around the time her uncle was killed, which jump-started it all over again, causing her to spiral downward until it was time for her to get her act together and apply for universities. All along, Angela had maintained a status quo well enough that one extraordinary school year had her primed for a stellar university. Doing just this, she gained entrance into the prestigious West City University.

"Hey girl!" a voice called, interrupting her reminiscing. Looking up she noticed Erasa pop a seat across from her in the plain black booth. The blonde girl had silver hoop earrings on and a plain black skirt, complete with navy blue form-fitting jeans.

"Hey look nice," Angela complimented her friend. The redhead didn't exactly put much thought into her appearance, instead opting to go for a plain green tube top and looser jeans. She barely applied any makeup, wanting to appear less artificial and more the natural Angela.

"Thanks," Erasa responded, "and you look pretty good yourself," she added with a jubilant smile. Excitement radiated off of her, adding to Angela's anxiety. "Last night was tons of fun," she chirped joyously. "I want to meet Sharpner again."

"I actually met him earlier outside our building," Angela stated, causing her blonde friend to adopt a shocked expression.

"Did you talk to him?" Erasa queried nervously. Her hands had begun shaking and her lip quivered a tiny bit. Angela also noticed that her posture had slouched a little, revealing some cleavage.

"We had a conversation," Angela replied, smirking. She had not expected Erasa to be so on edge about the topic; perhaps she'd underestimated just how head over heels her new friend was for Sharpner. "Before I keep going perhaps you should fix the top of your shirt, you know, reveal less boob," Angela teased with a laugh, "the waiter is coming to our table, after all."

Erasa's face flushed bright pink and she hurriedly adjusted the hem of her shirt, covering her ample bosom. The waiter arrived shortly thereafter, and the two girls ordered matching colas before the round man left them to their conversation once more.

"So what did he say?" Erasa whispered as soon as the man was far enough away.

Angela decided to respond in a hushed whisper as well, to appease Erasa. "We just talked about my friendship with Gohan, plus a little about you," she stated, smiling widely at the end when Erasa's eyes pressed for more information. Finally relenting, Angela spoke with a smile. "He's really into you, Erasa. He likes you for sure."

Angela had to cover her ears at Erasa's girlish squeal. Jeez, she sounded like a high school fangirl!

The rest of their little occasion mainly consisted of mindless banter and talk of what classes they were taking and what they wished to accomplish in those classes. They didn't touch upon the topic of Erasa's new blonde love interest again, and Angela was quite fine with that; she was tired of the lovey dovey stuff anyway.

...

Dates were big things. He'd been on enough of them with a plethora of different girls at this point in his life to understand that the concept of a date was a huge deal for the girl. Sure, it was important to the guy as well, but girls looked for subtle things to determine whether or not the person was a keeper.

For example, on his first date with his current girlfriend, he made a nice impression by voluntarily picking up the tab in advance and giving her his coat on the walk back to his apartment. That night had been an especially chilly evening, one complete with distant thunder and lightning and a cool breeze. He knew that if he didn't offer his coat to her it would spell the end of their relationship, so he obliged and gave her his dark black wool jacket.

It ended up being a wise decision as now, four years later, they had moved in together and were happily in love.

Staring out at Alice, he realized once more how beautiful she was. Her hair was a gorgeous

shade and invited every male to drool at its perfect complexity. Her skin was flawless and pale, a sharp contrast to the freckles that littered his own face. She had a slim, petite figure and curves in all the right place, enticing him to ravish her body on many an occasion.

He himself wasn't necessarily a _bad _looking man, but he certainly had physical limitations, something he couldn't say the same for Alice. It seemed she had just become increasingly more beautiful as the days went by, something he could not fathom but was obviously true.

He examined the fancy restaurant they were currently seated in, noticing the carefully carved marble arches welcoming patrons into the main area. He had chosen this restaurant for a specific reason, one he hoped Alice remembered.

The menu was filled with extravagant and expensive choices, some even hand picked by him for the occasion. When he announced his intentions to the owner, he heartily agreed to list Alice's favorite dish: filet mignon topped with gorgonzola cheese and complete with delicious mashed potatoes and a pile of spinach. He himself was dead set on a plain meal consisting of chicken parmesan and string beans. He didn't really fancy himself as an elegant or complicated eater, instead choosing whatever he felt like.

He touched his front right pocket carefully, feeling his wallet before anything else, then grinned.

His goddess of a girlfriend broke him out of his reverie with a sweet compliment. "You look good tonight, honey," she spoke. He grinned in satisfaction, knowing that he felt good for sure.

"You look gorgeous as always, babe," he offered back. She smiled giddily and giggled, something he thought was bizarre for a woman of her beauty.

Every time she did so he remembered back to his high school days and the girls he experimented with back then. They were few and far between, none more beautiful than the perfect woman before him. His entire teenage experience was crafted as a result of two friendships, neither of which was going strong at the moment. In fact, only his athletic jock friend from high school had even met Alice, the other going missing in action a while back.

Their waiter, a tall, lanky man wearing a black colored suit and a dashing red tie, approached them and took their orders, apparently surprised at Alice's order. He smirked to himself, patting himself on the back for that one; luckily, Alice didn't notice that the waiter seemed to feel out of place. How could he explain to her that he'd paid extra to tend to her wishes?

He gazed back into her deep blue pools and became instantly captivated by their mesmerizing beauty. She noticed him staring and sweetly grinned back, causing him to mutter an apology and sheepishly glance downward towards his feet. He then proceeded to twirl his fingers nervously, anticipating what was to come. Would it go smoothly? Horribly? How would it happen? So many questions plagued him.

The actual consumption of dinner went off without a hitch; he even got complimented more than a few times by Alice for the lovely choice in restaurant, which he proudly stated was his first option. They engaged in small talk as they ate, content to just chit chat and enjoy one another's company.

The waiter from before returned shortly thereafter, this time flanked by a pair of men who each grabbed an empty dish before leaving.

"Would you lovebirds like some dessert?" he inquired. He clicked the tip of his pen on his paper as he awaited an answer, clearly not patient.

"I'll just take chocolate mousse cake. What about you, hon?" he asked Alice. She responded in kind and the waiter disappeared.

After a few awkward seconds, Alice diverted the topic. "Hey, did you see the interview with that arrogant judge, Hercule Satan? I had to watch it during my shift last night at the factory."

He cringed when she mentioned her shift, since she was perpetually unhappy with her job as a factory head for a major corporation. Realizing she was waiting, he responded. "No, I didn't. Hasn't that man gotten enough publicity in the years since his wife died? I hear some of the earlier criminals he sentenced are beginning to be released from prison."

Right at that moment, the waiter interrupted their conversation by setting their dessert plates in front of them. The conversation temporarily ended, allowing both occupants to enjoy their luscious pastries in peace and quiet, the only sound being made that of the spoons digging into the chocolate delights.

Once done, the owner of the restaurant made an appearance at their table, querying whether or not they had enjoyed their meal sufficiently. Upon receiving nods of confirmation, the tall, broad-chested man departed, but not before tripping and falling over Alice's coat, which had slipped off her chair.

Alice carefully got up out of her chair and knelt down next to the man, offering sincere apologies. He came to his girlfriend's side to assist her, both of them feeling terrible. When the man had assured them both he was fine, he walked away, but not before winking back at the couple.

"Crap, I can't find the shiny quarter I had in my pocket."

"What happened, honey?" Alice asked her boyfriend.

"I lost a shiny quarter... wait! Here it is," he exclaimed in happiness, stowing it away in his pocket slowly.

"What's that other thing in your pocket?" Alice inquired.

Ruffling inside his pocket, he scooped out a small black velvet box."Oh, this?" he asked rhetorically. He then opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring, complete with a gorgeous gold band and the name 'Alice Tean' embroidered on the inside. "We've been going out for four years, Alice, and in that time I've fallen completely in love with you. I can't imagine spending a single day without your gorgeous blonde self by my side. I promise to love you forever, if you will do the same for me," he continued, romantically, internally rejoicing at the happy tears in Alice's eyes, "and our first date occurred at this restaurant, if you'll remember," he added, eliciting a grin. "It's fitting that I propose where it all began. Will you, Alice Tean, do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Krillin Chestnut?"

...

**That's the chapter. Please review. And thank you to gue22, RaiynetheHedgehog, Sailor Saiyan007, kalebxdd, videll, Boarderlined Innocence, and Son Goshen for reviewing chapter 2 :D **


	4. Dinner Dates

**So here's chapter 4 of University Issues. This chapter's out early for gue22 who updated my second favorite fanfiction of all-time (she's also authored my favorite), When a Demon Calls, last Saturday in exchange for some more University Issues. Also a big thanks to ShadowMajin who beta'd this chapter in place of my normal beta, Kano. Now enjoy the chapter.**

It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since her eldest son embarked on his journey into the real world, and yet Son Chi Chi was more nervous than ever before. Her baby boy had been through so much in his short life that any further issues could cause the proverbial dam to break.

The middle-aged mother flipped the eggs in her frying pan effortlessly and went about the motions of preparing a scrumptious meal for Goten. The younger of her two children was very energetic and loved to run around and play tag with his elder brother. Now that Gohan and Sharpner were away enjoying the fruits university had to offer, the spiky-haired kid was forced to play by himself or with Trunks on rare occasions.

When he asked for his favorite meal, consisting of scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon for an unconventional dinner, Chi Chi decided to oblige. He was a very well-mannered kid and didn't cause many problems so it was the least she could do.

"Goten!" she called. "Dinner is almost ready. Go wash your hands, dear." Growing up with your father as the man who presided over Ox City instilled values into Chi Chi and caused her to seek to teach her kids these same things. Gohan behaved extremely well from a young age, but Goten had far more pent up energy and tended to ignore simply commands and wishes. This caused Chi Chi to frequently speak to him in a formal, commanding tone in order to get swift results.

She heard a few clangs on the floor above her followed by a toilet flushing and shook her head at her son's antics. He was such a crazy young boy. Each time he spoke it brought a radiant smile to her face and almost made her forget about her prison-ridden husband, Goku. She still loved Goku and knew despite the events that went down that he still loved her with all of his heart.

"Mommy!" Goten yelled, grabbing her attention. "Can we eat? I'm starving!"

She smiled at his joyous attitude and nodded slightly before setting the table. Each place setting had a silver fork and knife, a napkin, and summer-themed dinner plates. Once the dinner table was complete, Chi Chi put on her protective glove and grasped the hot plates, one in each hand. She placed the two plates down halfway in between her and Goten's spots.

"Wow, this food looks sooooooooo good mommy!" Goten praised. Chi Chi broke out into another wide smile and began scooping scrambled eggs onto her young son's plate with her handy black spatula. Goten's eyes lit up in excitement at the amount of food plopped onto his plate and he began licking his lips.

The moment all of the eggs were on his plate, Goten grabbed the clear glass salt shaker and began pouring excessive amounts of it onto his eggs. "Be careful, honey," Chi Chi warned with a disapproving frown. "If you put too much salt onto your food then you will need a lot of water." She spoke in a motherly tone, complete with easy-to-understand advice for her young son.

"Okay Mommy!" Goten exclaimed with a wide smile etched across his face. He slowly stopped pouring a mountain of salt atop his food and placed the salt shaker down on the table. "Can we eat now, mommy?" he asked.

Chi Chi smiled and nodded her head. She had been lucky enough to instill a semblance of table manners into her children, unlike her husband. Gohan ate very gentlemanly-like and Goten normally ate calmly and chewed with his mouth closed, much to Chi Chi's satisfaction.

"Mommy," Goten began with a slight whine in his voice, "when are we going to see Gohan again? I miss him!" He pouted when he finished speaking and cast his eyes sadly towards the ground, causing Chi Chi to become a little sad.

"He's at university, now, honey. He's going to become a brilliant scholar!" she proclaimed proudly. After the last seven years tending to chores around the house and helping to raise Goten, her eldest deserved a bright future and eternal happiness. Now she just hoped that Gohan could find a nice girl to settle down with and start a wonderful family.

"But I miss him," Goten continued to pout. "When can we go visit Gohan, Mommy?" the little tyke inquired.

"We need to let him settle in, Goten," Chi Chi reminded her youngest. "Once Gohan has had a few weeks to make new friends and acclimate himself to his university, we can go visit him, okay?" Chi Chi spoke softly in a tone which Goten could comprehend.

"Okay, Mommy!" Goten finally conceded. With the matter settled, Goten continued to dig into his mountain of food happily.

Chi Chi sighed happily as she watched her youngest son chip away at the monstrous amount of breakfast lain before him. She missed her husband but, for now, her youngest bundle of joy was far more than enough to keep her happy.

...

Erasa sighed in exasperation as she glanced down at her black wrist watch for the umpteenth time. The watch hands were slowly inching towards 5:45 p.m.

She was meeting her best friend for lunch at a local restaurant at exactly six, but had arrived at the establishments fifteen minutes early just because she knew her bestie well and expected the girl there shortly.

Walking inside the expansive entryway, the beauty noticed marble archways to her left and right flanking the main receptionist's desk. She sighed and took in the breathtakingly gorgeous decorations, which combined to give the lovely restaurant a professional and exclusive feel to it. Only with her best friend would a nineteen-year-old choose a restaurant of this caliber for a simple lunch date.

"It was amazing! So romantic!"

Erasa heard a few waitresses cooing over something in the corner. The girly and flirtatious side to her personality immediately tuned into their conversation, wanting all the juicy details.

"He got down on one knee and delivered a heartfelt and romantic speech! It was so beautiful!" The woman who was speaking was a bit taller than Erasa and had her chocolate brown hair tied up into a ponytail. Her entire outfit, complete with a deep black shirt tucked into her white pants, complemented her hair style perfectly.

"And you say the chef told you that this Krillin fellow ordered specific food for his now-fiancee that normally isn't on the menu?" This next woman who spoke was a bit short and chubbier than either Erasa or the first woman and was blonde like herself.

"There was a proposal in this restaurant last night?" Erasa asked, interjecting herself into the conversation. The waitresses both turned to face her, shock plastered all over their faces.

"Yes, there was," the first woman managed after a few seconds. "A real romantic proposal; right at that table, actually," she added.

Erasa glanced at the table in question, noticing it was small and clearly meant for a couple or just two friends. It was secluded somewhat, but also still enough out in the open to not restrict patrons from seeing the rest of the restaurant.

"Hey! Erasa!" someone called from behind her. A wide smile graced her face as she turned around to greet her best friend- Videl Satan.

Videl and her had become close in elementary school, way back when Videl's mother was still alive. The raven-haired vixen was always an independent person, but when her mother was murdered it just served to highlight these qualities and her personality began to transform. Through it all, Erasa had remained close friends with her.

"Hey Vi!" she exclaimed. "Now that you're here we can be seated and start ordering our food."

Videl wore a baby blue cocktail dress, which matched her eyes nicely. The beautiful teenager had her hair tied up into matching pigtails, a look which she adopted from her late mother. Even out in public at a fancy restaurant she refused to wear her hair any other way.

"Erasa, I can't believe how little you've changed throughout the years. You've matured a little bit, but you're still the bubbly blonde best friend I've always had on the inside," Videl teased with a smirk. Their waiter arrived shortly after Videl's statements to order their drinks. Each girl just opted for a plain glass of water so the medium-height man strutted away to fetch a pair of glasses to fill.

"I don't know why you don't just let your hair fall out, Vi," Erasa started, "you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met."

"You know I haven't really been the type of person to show off my body, Erasa," Videl reminded her, "but I might eventually start letting my hair fall out," she finished with a smile.

Erasa smiled vibrantly at this concession, internally considering it a victory for herself. The young girl then began glancing around the restaurant, only to settle her attention on their returning waiter. The man set down a chalice with water in it, causing Erasa to sip lightly from it.

"You never did tell me all too much about that party last night, E," Videl started, using her pet nickname for Erasa.

"Well, maybe I would have if _somebody _didn't ditch Angela and I last night!" Erasa defended herself heatedly. She was clearly a little bit hurt by the raven-haired girl not showing up to their late-night breakfast session and it showed on her face.

"Sorry Erasa," Videl apologized, "I was just extremely tired last night and fell asleep before you texted me to confirm. I'll try not to let it happen again, okay?"

Erasa let out a hmph before her features softened and she nodded her head ever so slightly. "You're forgiven, Vi, but only because you're my best friend!"

"So," her black-haired best friend continued, "are you going to tell me about the party? Was it different from high school parties?"

"In some ways," Erasa stated. Her elbows were situated on the edged of the table and the bottom of her head was resting in her palms. "There was a lot more drug usage," she admitted, which earned a scowl from Videl, "but also cuter guys than in high school."

Videl gave her a knowing smile before taking on the role of investigator. "I assume you met a cute guy, didn't you, Erasa? So, what's his name?" Videl was one of the only people in existence who could fluster Erasa so easily with a simple question and wasn't an attractive male.

"He was cute, okay!" she defended. "His name was Sharpner, and he treated me like a gentleman." She placed a finger to her lips very softly as she reminisced over the feathery light touch of Sharpner's lips on her own. She caught herself quickly and attempted to play the slip off as nothing, but Videl was not to be fooled.

"He kissed you, didn't he?" she teased. "I saw the way you put a finger to your lips," her best friend stated with a wink. "When will I meet the man who swept you off your feet?"

Before Erasa could respond, their waiter finally returned to take down their dinner orders. Each teen requested a soup as an appetizer and a prime fish, swordfish and salmon for Videl and Erasa, respectively.

Once the waiter was out of earshot, Erasa turned back to her best friend with a smile. "You'll probably meet Sharpner soon. He was just so...so...so ugh! I don't know what it was about him that made me fall so hard so quickly! I tried to play hard to get at the beginning of the night," Erasa explained, "but he wasn't so easily fooled and stayed persistent. I told him to call me Maxi at first-" Erasa continued before Videl cut her off.

"Why Maxi, E? That seems random," Videl commented.

"My dad's sister's name was Maxuella and we always shortened it to Maxi. I had to think on the fly, okay!" Erasa argued. "I needed a name other than Erasa and this came to me quickest."

"Fair enough," Videl inputted her two cents, "you may continue." As she finished, she stuck her tongue out at the blonde-haired girl and smiled.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely _interrupted_," Erasa began, "I challenged Sharpner to keep up with me on the dance floor then one-up me in beer pong. He successfully did both so I had no choice but to tell him my name."

"I see," Videl started. "That still doesn't explain the miniature game of tonsil hockey that apparently occurred." Videl was hard pressed not to break out into a fit of laughter at the deep crimson hue which graced Erasa's cheeks at her comment. Other patrons glared at the young women for disturbing their peaceful suppers.

"Well, uh," Erasa began, stuttering, "when I looked at the t-time, and saw I needed to meet Angela, he, um, just sort of kissed me. It was really spontaneous," she added.

Videl's eyes lit up with excitement at the blonde girl's explanation and she began biting her lip out of nervous habit. "It sounds like he's a real catch, E. I'm happy for you," she congratulated.

Deciding that they were now beating a dead horse, and also trying to save herself some embarrassment over the situation, Erasa diverted the topic of conversation. "I saw your dad on TV last night, Videl. He was making another one of his patented speeches.

Videl sighed in exasperation before slowly nodding. "I know, E, I heard about it this morning and watched a rerun of it. He called me this morning..." she trailed off.

"Are you okay?" Erasa asked. It wasn't often that Videl was at a loss for words and the blonde woman knew Hercule Satan was a touchy subject. Videl had yet to have a sustained, long-term relationship because all guys were either scared to death of her wealth and power or attempting to use her for that very same thing.

"He seemed... different, somehow. I think it might've been just an act, but I'm not really sure." She paused from her speech and looked up at Erasa who met her eyes and offered a reassuring smile. "My dad, as you know, isn't the best father of all time, but he seemed genuine when he said he'd make an effort to come to our university for family weekend in a month. I kind of hope he does."

"I know, Vi, I know," Erasa said. "Let's talk about your dad later because the food is almost here."

Videl and Erasa then proceeded to carve up their respective seafood platters and indulge themselves in a delicious meal privy with conversation.

...

Glancing around her bedroom, Angela walked into the bathroom. Erasa and her's room was large and spacious to be sure, but the bathroom they shared with the room next to them was of much smaller stature. There was barely enough room to walk around, much less adequately freshen up. She really didn't know how Erasa had managed last night before they went to the dining hall.

Angela applied some makeup to her face and sprayed herself with a nice perfume, examined herself in the mirror, then stepped right back out into her room. She hadn't met their neighbors yet, but what with sharing a bathroom and all, it was simply a matter of when and not if.

The bubbly redhead sat on the edge of her bed and weighed her options. Her blonde roommate was out eating dinner with Videl, Erasa's best friend, which left Angela to her own devices. Deciding she had absolutely nothing else to do, she decided to see if Gohan and perhaps even Sharpner wanted to go explore campus and grab a bite to eat. She hadn't either one of their phone numbers, but luckily she remembered where their room was.

It took her a few minutes of scanning through room numbers before she discovered the now-familiar '112A' plaque which signified that she had arrived at her destination. She rapped lightly on the wooden frame of the door twice then took a step back and waited for either of her new friends to open the door. It took about a minute and a half, but the door finally swung open, awarding Angela a sight to behold.

In front of her, blocking the doorway, was Gohan in nothing but a pair of dark blue denim jeans. His messy mane of spiky black hair was wet, indicating he'd just recently taken a shower or bath and his locks fell over his face, giving him a mysterious and simultaneously awesome aura. Angela could do nothing but stare at him, mesmerized by his stunning handsomeness. She immediately regretted being friendzoned with him, but the enticing possibility of a lifelong male friend overran that feeling.

"Did you want something, Angela?" Gohan eventually asked, breaking her out of her trance. She blushed heavily when she realized that her new friend had caught her red-handed ogling his broad shirtless chest.

"Erm," she stuttered before regaining her composure, "do you and Sharpner want to go looking for somewhere to eat? I'm starving right now."

She watched patiently as Gohan retreated inside his bedroom and partially closed the door in his wake. She heard him relay the question to Sharpner before both young men arrived at the door. Sharpner spoke first. "Hey Angela. Just give us a minute to get ready, okay? If you want, you could wait outside."

The redhead heeded their advice and stepped outside the Kenley dorm to wait by the benches, involuntarily remembering her early talk with Sharpner. It relieved her somewhat that they seemed to be on good terms, especially with all the blabbering Erasa did about the blonde male during their lunch date at the pizzeria.

Within a few minutes, both boys had walked out the front doors of Kenley and were making their way towards her. Gohan approached her first and all she could think of was his wet body and how much she liked what she saw. Shaking her head, lest she fall back into her previous mindset from high school and ruin a budding friendship, Angela began walking towards the main sections of campus.

"Where should we look first?" Gohan inquired a few minutes into their trip. It had been mostly silent between the trio save a couple of comments, but it was a comfortable silence rather than an awkward one.

"How about we check this building?" Sharpner suggested. "I remember something about a cafeteria for graduate students being located here from that tour. Remember, Gohan?" he asked while turning towards his best friend.

"Oh yeah!" Gohan exclaimed as if a light bulb suddenly went off in his head.

Clasping her hands together, Angela happily began leading the trio towards the tall brown building. When they had entered, the fiery redhead looked for an elevator or set of stairs, finding her target off to the left. Once all three kids were in the elevator, the lone female of the group pressed the 'down' button amongst the slew of options.

The contraption hummed to life and began descending into the basement of the building. All of its occupants - Gohan, Angela, Sharpner, and two elderly gentlemen - stepped out of the elevator, with the two older men turning left towards a classroom and the others turning towards the sign indicating where the cafeteria was.

The cafeteria was extremely large and provided its visitors a vast array of choices, ranging from healthy salads and wraps to a taco station. Sharpner licked his lips and darted directly for the taco-making station while both Gohan and Angela opted for the healthier variant.

Within ten minutes the trio had received all of the food they wanted and picked out a clean four-person table even if only to use three seats. The room was mainly empty, which gave them more freedom to choose where to sit. Angela was given the decision of choosing where to sit and chose a table situated up against a booth. The males slid into the booth half of the table before Angela could, each flashing a stupid toothy grin. She fumed, but pulled out one of the clear orange chairs nonetheless and took a seat.

Sharpner dug into his collection of food first. The blonde boy had prepared four tacos, each one slightly different from the next. The first was a simple hard taco consisting of the hard yellow outer shell, several servings of ground beef, a few pieces of lettuce, a smattering of mild taco sauce, and a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese. The second taco was identical with the addition of sour cream, while tacos three and four were the exact same as the first two, but neither had lettuce.

Angela's dinner meal was a bit simpler than her blonde companion's; she simply had a vegetables-only wrap, a veggie burger, and a little bit of salad on the side.

Gohan went a little more risque, choosing a pair of wraps with turkey, american cheese melted inside, and lettuce and tomatoes spread around the turkey. It wasn't a vegetarian choice, but it sufficed nonetheless.

"Where is Erasa, by the way?" Sharpner asked between mouthfuls.

Disregarding his disgusting table manners, Angela processed the question. She finished chewing what was in her mouth, directing a pointed glare Sharpner's way as she did so, before speaking. "She went out to dinner with her high school best friend, who also goes to West City University."

Sharpner nodded in response to her answer and returned to devouring his dinner. It only took a few seconds before he came up with another question. "What do you two want to do after this, anyway?"

"I hear the campus auditorium is showing a horror movie. There won't be any drinking, but it could be interesting," Angela replied. The redhead glanced at both boys, awaiting their respective responses.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Sharpner concurred, which was followed by a short nod from Gohan.

"I just want to finish my dinner. It's delicious!" Gohan proclaimed.

The threesome finished their respective meals within minutes, each taking care to wipe the remnants of food from their face with a napkin or, in Sharpner's case, the underside of his wrist.

They got up to leave, but not before Angela noticed a moderately tall and athletic standing off to the side staring at them.

...

The walk to the auditorium took an absurd amount of time since Sharpner insisted on walking as slow as possible so the wind wouldn't mess up his hair. As they approached the main gate, Gohan noticed a pair of security guards blocking the entrance. Each man held a rectangular black lever of sorts, which Gohan recognized to be a metal detector.

When they are standing in front of the guards, the one nearest to Gohan spoke. "Just let us clear you with these then, one by one, swipe your identification cards to enter. Okay?" Upon receiving three nods of consent, the short process began and each of the three students flashed their ID cards to get into the building.

Before shutting the door, Angela flashed a dazzling smile and addressed the guards. "Which way to the horror movie showing?" The man who hadn't spoken earlier pointed towards a door at the end of the hallway which caused the trio to embark.

The door was plain and red, complete with a small yellow door handle. Gohan grasped the handle, turned it down, then pulled the door towards him, holding it open for Angela and Sharpner to file through. He then walked through himself and gently shut it behind him.

Angela took the lead and walked with a purpose towards a three-seat section which was cordoned off near the far corner of the arena. The redhead arrived at the row first, but stood back to allow Sharpner through first. He quirked an eyebrow at her behavior, but dismissed it nonchalantly. Gohan went through next and sat in the middle, with Angela taking a seat on the end.

"Gohan," she whispered as soon as she was seated, "there are free buckets of popcorn in the back. Do you guys want one each?" Gohan turned towards his best friend and whispered the question in the blonde boy's ear before returning his attention to Angela.

"I'll take one, but Sharpner says he is okay for now."

Angela nodded and quietly slipped away to retrieve a pair of popcorn buckets. When she was clearly out of hearing range, Gohan turned towards his best friend. "I told you she isn't that bad, Sharpner."

"Yeah, you're right, buddy. She's actually okay with me now," Sharpner commented.

The duo returned their attention to the large-scale movie screen just in time to see a frightened young woman get her head chopped clean off, eliciting a girlish scream from Sharpner. Gohan laughed good-naturedly at his best friend's antics whilst nearby moviegoers glared at the source of sudden interruption.

It took a good ten minutes, but Angela eventually returned to their seats, two bright red bucketfuls of popcorn in her possession. "I wasn't sure if you liked butter, Gohan," she whispered, "so I didn't put any on your popcorn."

Gohan smiled appreciatively, responding in kind that he did not like butter whatsoever. The movie lasted late into the night as it was in excess of two and a half hours long. Angela and Sharpner managed to stay awake for the majority of the night, but towards the end each began to doze off and use Gohan's shoulders as head rests.

Throughout the duration of the movie, Sharpner would idly pick and choose kernels of popcorn from Gohan's stash and eat it discreetly. It came, then, as a shock to the black-haired boy when his bucket of popcorn was abruptly empty without him realizing it.

Angela still had a significant amount of popcorn in her possession, so Gohan reached in and scooped a handful of kernels for his own consumption. If the redhead had noticed, she didn't particularly care, so he continued to eat her popcorn for a little while.

The movie proceeded with an extremely boring montage of killing scenes with figuratively, and literally, put the audience to sleep. From what Gohan could see, the climax of the entire thing was nothing more than a few awkward sex scenes complemented by a handful of intense action scenes involving a butcher knife and lots of blood.

The spiky-haired teenager didn't particularly mind being used to prop up his best friend and new friend, so he let them peacefully slumber away. Eventually, even Gohan closed his eyes for a bit since nothing extraordinarily exciting had happened since the main protagonist tomahawk chopped a sharp silver blade through a man's skull.

Peacefully, the three friends slept in the soft maroon theatre seats.

...

Goku.

Oh, how he _despised _Goku.

It was the name of the one man he knew his gorgeous wife also had feelings for. In many ways, it was his arch nemesis. It wasn't that he thought Bulma had cheated on him with Goku, but he did not even trust for a second that the younger man would resist his beautiful bluenette should the opportunity present itself.

He never really understood what was so special about that Son male anyway. So what if he saved his wife's life more than a decade ago? Does that change the fact that he was currently cooped up in a prison cell as a direct result of the justice system?

Vegeta could remember how poorly he contained his joy upon originally learning Son Goku was headed for prison. At least now, for the better part of an entire decade, he didn't have to see hide nor hair of that despicable loser. His wife still adored the man, that much was clear to him. He knew that when Goku was released from prison he would slowly integrate himself back into their lives, but as a father of an eight-year-old kid, he felt it was his duty to limit Trunks' interactions with a convicted wife abuser.

Vegeta also wasn't as clueless or stupid as he preferred to appear; he knew Trunks was spending an exorbitant amount of time playing with Goten, Goku's youngest son. His lilac-haired son had taken a liking to the Son lifestyle, but it didn't mean everything was going to happen like some fairy tale.

A steady buzzing sound caught the ex-model's attention and caused him to glance down at his cell phone screen. The name on it made him sneer in disgust and pick up the cell phone.

"What!" he snapped at the person on the other end. "Yes... yes... I know Chiaotzu... I am very well aware!... take care of it... just do it... just see to it that it get's done."

With that, the proud man slammed his phone shut and relaxed his muscles. The tension of his entire life recently had been mounting and he was afraid to know what would result if everything came to light.

Vegeta shifted his gaze towards his bedroom and wondered what Bulma was doing at this exact moment. Deciding he was more than curious, he entered his bedroom and snuck up behind his wife. He kissed her cheek affectionately before intertwining one of his hands with hers.

"Mmm," Bulma mumbled out happily, "what are you doing, Vegeta?"

"Can't I just give my favorite woman a kiss on the cheek?" He flashed her a sexy smirk that showed his shiny teeth and then proceeded to attach their lips in a throe of passion.

"You could," Bulma said breathlessly, "but we both know you are too proud of a man to publicly proclaim me as your wife," she pointed out. "I know you love me, but the last several years you've been more affectionate than the entire previous stretch of our relationship."

Vegeta frowned at her comment and begged for entrance into her mouth, for which she happily obliged. He pulled his wife closer to him and squeezed her ass gently.

As the happily married couple became lost in their lust for each other, neither cared about anything else in the world. It was usually this way during their romps.

After a few minutes of passionate making out, Vegeta heard Trunks calling their name from outside the bedroom.

Closing his eyes to reign in poorly hidden anger at being interrupted, Vegeta yelled out at his son. "What do you want Trunks?!"

Said purple-haired child opened up the bedroom door and peered inside slowly. The former model smirked at this - Trunks had exercised poor caution on a couple occasions and witnessed far more of his mother than a boy should ever.

"Miss Chi Chi is on the phone," Trunks stated once he had given himself the all-clear.

"What does she want?" Vegeta ground out from between gritted teeth. Even while he was in prison his bitter rival was interrupting his special time with Bulma! Would the man ever stop?

"She wants to know if we wanted to go over there for dinner this weekend," Trunks replied.

"Is she still on the phone, honey?" Bulma queried.

"Yes."

"Tell her I'll be with her in a moment, okay?"

With that, Trunks left his parents on their own. Vegeta looked down at his former heiress with a sad smile before lifting her chin up and kissing her lightly.

"We can finish this later, Bulma. Go take the call from Chi Chi. Promise me that when we _do _continue, I can fully ravish your perfect body and perhaps make you mine once more, okay?" Vegeta finished with a devious smirk playing at his lips.

Bulma laughed lightly before nodding and placing her hands on her husband's chest. Pushing off, Dr. Brief's estranged daughter left to go towards her house phone, sashaying her hips as she went.

As he stared off towards the retreating form of his wife, the only thing imprinted on Vegeta's mind was the way he ass swayed from side to side when she'd just left him.

"That's _my _wife," Vegeta stated to nobody in particular. He then smirked and lay back on the bed.

...

When Erasa and her had finished their dinner, it became apparent to her that the blonde was very tired. After all, during the course of their meal, her best friend had explained exactly how late her and Angela were at the dining hall the previous night.

Videl called the waiter over and requested the bill once their plates had been fetched.

"Won't you be staying for dessert?" the man asked. He clearly did not want to lose an ounce of business.

"We are both quite tired and famished. No thank you," Videl said politely. Being the only daughter of a world famous judge also meant that she needed to be eloquent and polite in public, lest the paparazzi or a simple bystander recognize her as a Satan.

The waiter walked away, obviously disheartened by her answer, but Videl really couldn't care less. The raven-haired teen took out her phone and checked for any missed calls or texts, but was relieved to see none whatsoever. "Hey Erasa," she began, "what's the policy on staying overnight for our university?"

"I think we need to just sign in at the main desk and log the time you enter and leave the building," Erasa supplied, "or at least that's what Angela told me. I didn't go to the meeting yesterday."

"Do you mind if I crash at your place tonight?" Videl asked with a small smile. She wasn't sure exactly why her hands were fidgeting so nervously... this was Erasa for crying out loud! The blonde wouldn't refuse her request.

"Of course, Vi!" her best friend answered excitedly. "I would _love _for you to sleep over at my dorm!"

Videl was more than thrilled to see sparkle in her blonde best friend's eyes and it gave her a great sense of relief. The waiter returned shortly with a small black pamphlet, which was the bill. Videl opened up the little booklet and used the pen to sign her signature on the bottom then placed the credit card her father had recently given to her in it and handed it back to the waiter.

"Since when do you have a credit card!?" Erasa nearly shouted. It grabbed the attention of a few nearby tables, all of whose occupants frowned slightly at the sudden loud noise.

"My dad got it for me last week. He says I'll need some money to spend besides the cash for, and I quote, 'those silly girl expenditures I know Erasa will drag you out on,'" Videl said with a laugh. "He then reminded me not to use that credit card on any no-good stinking boys, and I, of course, told him I wouldn't."

Erasa smirked before responding. "You are going to spend it on a boy, right?" She had a knowing glint in her eyes which scared Videl a little bit.

"I'm not planning on it, E," Videl countered. "Even if I _do _go on some dates, it wouldn't be very lady-like to pay on the first date, don't you agree?" The Satan girl knew that her blonde companion was very by the books when it came to chivalry and boys spending on girls early in relationships. She had her.

"Well, what if that boy happens to be like Sharpner and you want to go on multiple dates with him?" Erasa defiantly asked with a huff.

"I still wouldn't expect him to make me pay. Even when he discovers who my dad is, if he's worth the trouble then he'll treat me to dates. Isn't this your number one rule, E?" Videl smirked when her best friend faltered and looked down, evidently trumped.

"Fine, fine. You win this round, Vi," Erasa said. She was also smirking now.

At that moment, the waiter returned with Videl's credit card and thanked them for choosing to do business with them.

Erasa and Videl got up and began to leave, but not before the raven-haired girl left a small tip on the table for their waiter.

"Do you know the quickest way to walk back to campus, E?" Videl inquired after they'd left the restaurant. She looked over at Erasa only to see the blonde gaze transfixed on the marble archways inside the restaurant. "What are you thinking about?" she asked instead.

That question grabbed the blonde's attention sufficiently. "I'm just thinking about something I heard earlier," Erasa responded. "Apparently a guy named Krillin proposed super romantically to his girlfriend in the restaurant we just ate in last night."

"That is sweet," Videl agreed, "but why are you thinking about this now? Are you imagining Sharpner proposing to you?" she teased.

"No, silly. I'm just wondering if I'll ever meet this Krillin guy. The world is small, you know, and I could one day. What's that saying? Everyone in the world can be connected by six degrees of separation?"

"That's the one," Videl concurred, "but odds are we'll never meet this guy and you know it, E." Videl clapped her hand on her best friend's shoulder then began walking towards the campus.

Erasa followed suit moments later and the duo walked in relative silence during the return trip, save for some more idle banter about high school and some of Erasa's previous boyfriends.

They were stopped at a traffic light when Videl finally voiced a question that had been swirling in her mind for a few hours. "Did Sharpner call you today?"

Erasa looked crestfallen at the question and shook her head to signal that he hadn't. Videl was a bit surprised, to say the least. In all her years of knowing the bubbly blonde girl at her side, she'd never seen a boy get under her skin so quickly and affect her so greatly.

"You said he acted all macho at times, right? Perhaps he figured he'd wait a day to not come off as... wanting?" Videl finished in a question of sorts as she searched for the right word to punctuate her thought.

"Maybe, Vi. You could be right. I'm just worried. I really want Sharpner to call me back and I'd be really sad if he didn't." Erasa looked down at her shoes once again after speaking which shocked Videl even more. The girl really was down in the dumps over this.

Deciding she needed to at least attempt to cheer her best friend up, Videl offered an alternative solution to distract Erasa. "How about you, Angela, and I watch a movie when we get back to your room, if she's there, okay? Maybe a silly comedy would cheer you up, E?"

Erasa offered a small smile then nodded fervently at Videl's offer. "Sure. That sounds great, Vi. I'd love it."

With that statement putting an end to the conversation once again, the two girls walked in a comfortable silence until they reached the edge of their campus. Swiping their cards at the turnstile, both girls entered campus without a hitch and began walking towards the Kenley dorm building.

Even at night, the scenery on campus was absolutely gorgeous, Videl mused. The forest-like atmosphere that the paths took on made the Satan girl more at peace with her surroundings. There were dozens of bright green, lush trees on both sides of the road, all of which she had no doubt would begin to lose their luster once winter inched closer.

The walk, once they were inside campus, was pretty short compared to the walk from the restaurant to campus, so they arrived at Kenley relatively quickly.

"Can we sit out here for a few minutes before we go in?" Erasa asked out of the blue, pointing towards a brown bench.

Videl wasn't really sure exactly why her best friend didn't want to go in quite yet, but had a nagging feeling she should say yes and thus did. "What's wrong, E?" she queried.

Erasa sighed in exasperation then put her hands in her head once she took a seat.

"I repeat... what's wrong, Erasa?" Videl phrased it like a question once again but it came out more like a demand.

"I just want some more 'us' time before we go meet up with Angela. That's all, Vi. I miss you already and you haven't even gone back to your dorm yet!"

Videl knew the feeling considering how badly she knew she would miss Erasa. They were best friends throughout high school and even chose to attend the same university yet couldn't room together unfortunately.

"It's all right, Erasa. It'll be fine," Videl consoled her best friend. "We have a few of the same classes, remember? Plus, campus isn't that big. We can meet for lunch and dinner often and hang out all the time. It will be as if nothing changed!" Videl spoke with an authoritative tone and she was glad to see Erasa acting more like herself after the miniature monologue.

Suddenly, several groups of people entered the courtyard and began walking through the Kenley doors. It took several minutes and the mad rush had begun to die down, but that's when Erasa gasped. Videl looked over at her questioningly before following her line of sight.

"That's Sharpner and Angela!" she heard Erasa exclaim next to her. There was a girl amongst the trio that perfectly fit her best friend's description of Angela to a tee. Knowing Sharpner was blonde from her dinner date with Erasa answered the question of which boy was Sharpner. That just left the identity of the third boy unanswered.

"Who is the other boy, E?" Videl asked her best friend. She didn't remove her focus from the trio though, and simply listened on the side for Erasa's reply.

"I assume it's Gohan. He's Angela's new friendzoned best guy friend, I think. They met yesterday."

Videl was absolutely mesmerized by everything about this boy. His eyes were shrouded in mystery and an impossible shade of deep black. They almost seemed pure black to her without any other colors. His jet black hair defied gravity, although she figured it was due to monstrous amounts of hair gel and not that it could actually defy gravity. He was also clearly in possession of a very muscular frame and an attractive body.

To put it simply, Videl wanted to meet this boy.

Erasa eventually noticed that the Satan girl was paying absolutely no attention to anybody except Gohan, so she called out to the trio. "Angela!"

Said girl spun around on the spot and noticed Erasa, then began walking towards the two teenage girls, Gohan and Sharpner in tow.

Sharpner seemed to recognize Erasa as he got closer. "Erasa!" he exclaimed once he was about ten feet away. "How are you doing today?"

Erasa giggled and stood up, offering a wink in Videl's direction. She then grabbed Sharpner and Angela's hands and dragged them away. Gohan began to follow as well, but Erasa turned around to face him. "You stay right there, cutie."

Videl was inwardly hurling massive amounts of curses in Erasa's direction, but knew none would actually do any good. With great effort, she stood and faced Gohan, idly twiddling her thumbs in nervousness.

To her satisfaction, it appeared as if Gohan was equally afraid. She decided to break the impossibly awkward silence first. "Hi. I'm Videl."

"Hi Videl; my name's Gohan."

...

**That's the chapter.**

**Big thanks to ijustwokeup, kalebxdd, gue22, Sailor Saiyan007, Dr. Blue 22, RaiynetheHedgehog, and Son Goshen for reviewing chapter 3 :D**


	5. Emotions

**Here's chapter 5. This was also written as a present for gue22. Thanks to ShadowMajin for beta reading this chapter. Without further ado, here's the chapter:**

Nervousness and apprehension were the two main things Sharpner was experiencing. Here he was thinking that everything would be fine and dandy; he would just walk back to Kenley and get an early night of sleep. Now, however, he needed to face his greatest fears since his entourage met up with Erasa and one of her friend's at the main entrance to their dorm building.

Sharpner handed the security guard his ID card, then spared Gohan one last glance before walking fully into Kenley and realizing his best friend was actually on his own.

He felt something prodding at his hand so he glanced down in time to see Erasa intertwining her hands with his own and smiled despite himself.

"How was your day, Erasa?" he asked his blonde companion. Angela was walking idly on the other side of them with a frown etched onto her face.

"Mine was pretty uneventful, Sharpner," the blonde answered blandly. A moment later her face lit up. "Hey, can I call you Sharpie?"

Sharpner glanced down at Erasa with a scornful expression gracing his features. "If you must," he said, "then I guess so." Although he expressed distaste for the nickname because it reminded him of what his mother used to call him, Erasa's vibrant smile washed away all the doubt that he'd made the correct decision.

"Thanks!" she gleefully exclaimed while clasping her hands together. Sharpner watched impassively as he waited for something, or really anything, to happen.

"Why did you guys grab me too?" Angela angrily grumbled once they were past the security gate and walking up towards the girls' room.

"Couldn't you see that Videl wanted to meet Gohan officially?" Erasa happily replied.

Sharpner couldn't put his finger on it, but Erasa seemed even more bubbly today than she'd been last night. He didn't know all too much about her personality, but every indication supported the inference that when drunk she was a bit more cautious and adventurous. She had a flair of suspense and mystery around her last night which intrigued him. Now, she still maintained some of those elements, but also had a more outgoing air around her.

"Don't you agree, Sharpie?" Sharpner stared at the blonde girl for a few seconds as he began gathering his thoughts.

"Probably. I'm not sure what to make of Gohan though, so we'll see," Sharpner responded. He chose to just accept the nickname his blonde friend dubbed for him and consider it a sign of affection. "Where are we going, anyway? Your room?" He glanced down at Erasa whilst speaking to gauge her reaction.

"Yep!" she proclaimed happily. "I had originally told Videl we'd watch some movies, but we can do something else while we wait for her!"

Angela sulked behind the pair of blonde teenagers. She showed signs of being down, but Sharpner chose to ignore those and paid more attention to Erasa. Within a minute or so, all three had arrived at Angela and Erasa's room.

The first thing Sharpner noticed was how absolutely massive the room was. There was a bathroom entrance, but he mostly noticed how there seemed to be far more space in this dorm room than in his own.

Both Angela and Erasa had rather large full-sized beds and a moderately large nightstand at the bedside. Angela's sheets were a light pink coloring while Erasa opted for a sky blue color. Both girls also had a soft white pillow at the head of the bed and a small miniature blanket at the foot of the bed. Above all else, Sharpner noticed that their room was extremely neat. Who knew if they were actually neat people or just hadn't had enough time to create a mess, but his room was already looking like a bomb hit it.

"Sharpner," Angela said, grabbing his attention, "you can sit in this chair here." As she said this, she pushed a small maroon rocking desk chair in Sharpner's direction. The blonde boy plopped down into the seat and reclined backwards, resting his head on the edge of Erasa's bed.

Erasa then hopped up onto her bed and laid forward so her feet were where her pillow should be. She had grabbed her pillow mid-bounce and had propped her elbows up on it. With Sharpner right in front of her, she reached out and played with the teen's blonde locks, running her hands through his long hair.

Angela grabbed the remote and flipped on a cartoon, then noticed that Sharpner and Erasa were being lovey-dovey and spoke up. "I'm going to go get a bottle of soda from the vending machine, okay? Do either of you want anything?"

Receiving two shakes of the head, the sullen redhead departed from the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sharpner leaned his head backward to glance into Erasa's eyes, realizing this was the first time the two had been alone since he kissed her. "Hi," he said meekly. He didn't really understand where this sudden nervousness was coming from, but it made him uncomfortable and he didn't like it.

"Hey, Sharpie, what's up?" Erasa asked him with a calm demeanor. It bothered him that this wasn't freaking her out. Or if it was, she was exceptionally good at hiding her emotions.

"Sorry... I don't know why I'm so nervous," Sharpner began rambling. He began thinking of exactly what he could say in this scenario and decided to just be blunt and blurt out the truth. "I like you, Erasa. I want to take you out to dinner at least once. You're pretty and kind and you do something to me most other people don't do. I know we only met last night, but the experience at that party was incredible." The blond continued, "So would you let me take you out on one date? Just to the movies?"

Erasa was blushing full force at this point and stuttered out a nervous affirmative reply before continuing, "Sharpie, what came over you? You didn't know how to talk to me thirty seconds ago and now you're the next Prince Charming!"

Regaining some of his confidence as a result of her accepting his date proposal, Sharpner allowed a small smirk to find its way to his face. "I don't know, but I'm glad I decided to act instead of think. I managed to get myself a date with a beautiful woman this way," he finished with a wink.

Erasa then kissed his forehead lightly while they waited for Angela to return with her soda.

...

She was breathtakingly beautiful. That was really the only way he could describe her. Angela was pretty attractive and, from what he just saw, so was Erasa, but Videl was on another level in his eyes.

He stood there for about five seconds after she told him her name just gazing right into those azure orbs. There really wasn't a topic of conversation to discuss at the moment, which left the duo on their own.

When Erasa had called him, Sharpner, and Angela over, he immediately noticed Videl. Her hair was tied back into a pair of very cute pigtails with golden bands holding them together, but he had no doubt in his mind that she'd be even prettier with her hair down and flowing in the wind.

The thing that caught Gohan's attention most was her gorgeous blue dress. Now that he put his mind to it, he remembered Angela saying Erasa was out to dinner with a friend, but the expectation in his mind was nowhere near as beautiful as the woman in front of him. Between her eyes, hair, and the way her dress hugged her figure tightly, he saw what he viewed as the perfect girl.

"So, tell me something about yourself, Gohan," Videl finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence which existed between them. The raven-haired goddess then took a seat on the bench and patted the small area next to her. Gohan took that as his cue to plop down on the bench.

"What do you want to know? I'm not really that good at these things," Gohan said. He lifted his hand to the back of his neck and scratched it. His mother had always told him that this was the signature nervous move of his father, which he remembered him doing at times.

"Anything, really. How do you know Erasa, for instance?" Videl inquired.

"Oh!" Gohan exclaimed. "I actually hadn't met her until just now," he explained, "but my best friend Sharpner met her last night and her roommate Angela introduced herself to me at a party last night."

"You went to that party with Erasa and Angela?" Videl asked.

"Yeah. Angela convinced Sharpner and I to accompany her." Videl looked a little somber at this point, causing Gohan to wonder what he'd done wrong. "Are you okay, Videl? What's wrong?"

Videl shook her head fervently before turning back to Gohan. "Nothing. It's fine," she stated. "I guess Angela probably likes you, right?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Gohan laughed nervously, "but I told her I didn't like her that way and that her friendship meant more." If Gohan were paying more attention to Videl he might have noticed the relieved look in her face when this information was revealed. As it is, the spiky-haired male was simply living in his memories.

"So you obviously go to West City University," Videl pointed out. "Do you know what classes you have?"

"The only professor name I remember," Gohan started, "is professor Kame. I just remember thinking how odd of a name that is and how is sounded strangely familiar."

"Familiar?" Videl queried. The girl rose her eyebrow inquisitively and has a suspicious glint in her aqua blue eyes.

"Yeah... almost as if I knew him from somewhere... it would've had to have been from when I was a child, though," Gohan finished.

Videl looked like she was thinking about the situation for a few moments before she glanced down at her watch, reading the time.

"I hate to cut this short," she started, "but I promised E that I would watch movies with her," Videl finished regretfully.

Arching an eyebrow at Videl's pet name for Erasa, the black-haired teen nodded and waved goodbye to her.

Once Videl was out of sight, Gohan opted to go for a short walk to calm the raging hurricane that was currently his emotions. He didn't know what to think, nor did he have any clue how to act from her. With Angela it'd been clear from the get-go that he didn't find the entire package enough to outweigh the benefits of a long-lasting friendship, but with Videl he was enamored and wanted nothing more than to make her his girlfriend. She was drop-dead gorgeous in all facets of beauty and seemed kind enough to not make her personality a deterrent. He might not have known much about her familial background, but the chance it was enough to squash his rising feelings for her seemed minimal.

Along the path near Kenley was a small oak tree with a flat-topped rock beneath it. Gohan decided this silverish rock was as good a seat as any and sat down in the shady cove. He took out his cell-phone and called his mother's number. Despite the late hour, he knew she'd be awake and very much wanting to hear from him.

After a few rings, a very familiar female voice picked up the other end of the phone call.

"Hello?" his mother asked.

"Hey, Mom," Gohan answered.

"Honey! How are you? How was your first day? You didn't get into any trouble with those West City girls, did you?!" Chi Chi asked, each question successive after one another at lightning speed.

"I'm fine, Mom. It was great. No I didn't," Gohan answered all the questions at once.

"What about the girls, Gohan? Did you or Sharpner meet any cute girls?" Gohan could practically see the stars in his mother's eyes at the prospect of either of them finding a steady girlfriend. While Sharpner had met a girl, he wasn't about to _tell _his mother this little tidbit of information quite yet.

"No Mom, we haven't," he lied. "We just stayed in last night and went to our floor meeting. Nothing too terribly exciting," he stated. He didn't like lying to his mother, but had long ago decided it was distinctly possible she'd revoke his privilege of attending university if she ever heard stories about college parties. It was just easier for everybody involved if he fed her a few white lies.

"Oh, Goten is calling me. Before I go, honey, the prison called today. They said we can go visit your father soon. Bye!"

Chi Chi then hung up the phone, but it didn't make a difference. Gohan's mind was already numb. He simply went through the motions of returning to his dorm building, entering his bedroom and hitting the pillow. The last thought on his mind before sleep overcame him depressed him.

_I get to meet my dad again?_

...

Being engaged was a wonderful thing. The past thirty hours had flown by since her wonderful husband Krillin had proposed to her. She was getting married! It was an unbelievable feeling to be sure.

There were hundreds of preparations to be made, ranging from a date for the wedding to who would be in the bridal party to an exquisite and fantastic location for the reception and church ceremony. Alice knew that she would need her childhood best friend in the bridal party. It wasn't really a question of whether or not the woman would happily say yes, she freelanced as a homeschooling tutor these day after all, but Launch would also bring an element of shock into the equation. Launch also coined her nickname since her first initial combined with her last named sounded like her favorite number - Eighteen.

Krillin didn't call her Eighteen in public since it wasn't really a name, but when they were at their small apartment he rarely shied away from calling her the nickname.

"Honey," Krillin interrupted her thoughts. "Who should I make my best man?"

"Honestly Krillin, if you want to make Goku your best friend you should call him up," she reasoned. "We both know there's only one other candidate and you're in constant contact with the guy and yet haven't asked him yet. He knows we got engaged already, right? Just look Goku's information up and call him," she said. "I'm sure he will be flattered."

Krillin walked off in the direction of their small and cozy kitchen to use the wall phone. Eighteen decided to find her cell phone and call Launch if her fiancee was calling his prospective best man.

She whipped out the small flip phone and punched in the seven-digit combination to call her blonde ex-schoolmate. After a single ring, Launch picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Launch speaking. Who is this?"

Eighteen smiled at hearing her old friend in her usual authoritative tone of speaking. Being a strict, no-nonsense homeschooling teacher had its perks, the attractive blonde supposed. Tucking a strand behind her ear, Eighteen spoke into the receiver. "An old friend can't call her best friend just for some chit-chat?" She knew that Launch recognized her voice from the stunned gasp.

"Alice!" she screamed, causing Eighteen to hold the phone away from her eardrums. "I haven't heard from you in ages!" Eighteen smirked at this. To everyone aside from Launch and Krillin, she emitted a cold and somewhat mechanical aura. Her eyes were guarded with most people, probably the result of several incidents of broken trust. But with Launch and Krillin, she lowered her defenses and allowed her future husband and lifelong best friend to enter into her inner circle of emotion.

"I know Launch; I'm sorry. I have awesome news, though! Krillin proposed to me last night."

Launch screeched on the other end of the phone, resulting in Eighteen holding the telephone away from her ear once again. "That is awesome news, hon!" she cooed. "Was it romantic? Give me the details!"

Eighteen sighed, preparing to let her blonde counterpart down. "You know that romantic situations don't often interest me, Launch. I don't care much for gooey lovey dovey stuff. If you must know, then yes, it was sweet. But don't go overboard!" she warned.

"Fine, fine. I give up with you. When did you develop such a cold exterior?" Launch inquired.

With nearly every other person, this would've caused Eighteen to snap at them and hurl a string of curses in their direction, but she had an outstanding amount of patience for Launch, which proved to be a worthwhile virtue here.

"I've always had the coldness, Launch. I don't like emotions... didn't I _just _say this?" Eighteen was already getting tired of the phone conversation, even if it was with her best friend that she hadn't talked with in ages, and wanted to return to Krillin. "I have to go soon Launch, so let's move along. Will you be my maid of honor?" Eighteen smirked at the affirmative yell of joy erupting from Launch's lips. She waited for the storm to die down before speaking her next question. "By the way, how's the tutoring business?"

"It's working out okay, I suppose. I had a client for the past several years but he went away to university recently," Launch said disappointedly. "The name sounded familiar actually, now that I'm talking to you. The family name was Son, but the father was in prison, so I don't think it's the same Son that's Krillin's best friend."

"Do you have any contact information on them still, Launch?" Eighteen asked. If this was the same family, then Krillin was about to be thoroughly disappointed, that's for sure.

"I do, but it's confidential Eighteen," she responded. "Why do you need their information? If you have a valid reason I can give it."

Eighteen was slightly frustrated by the constant professional tone Launch had; did the girl not understand that in a normal conversation it was okay to relax your grammar and vocabulary and just speak what comes to you?

"It's potentially very important for Krillin. Can you give it to me or not?" the blonde beauty demanded. She'd lost all semblance of cheerfulness in her tone and had adopted an angry edge. The cold, mean exterior of Eighteen had returned.

"I suppose so. Let me just go retrieve it. Hold on."

Eighteen kept the phone perched on her shoulder so she could hear if her blonde best friend returned with the necessary information. She glanced around, looked down at her blouse, fiddled with the seams of her form-fitting jeans and did just about everything she could think of to pass the time.

Eventually, after what seemed to be an eternity, she heard Launch pick up the phone on the other end and begin talking once again. "Okay, so here's the phone number."

With the phone number in hand, Eighteen thanked Launch and said her goodbyes. Now she needed to find Krillin and see if there was any substance to her suspicions. Before she could even move, her soon-to-be husband re-entered the room with a solemn expression on his face. She feared the worst.

"What's wrong, Krillin?" she asked gently. The blonde bombshell rose from her comfortable seat and walked over to Krillin with a feather-light step. She placed one hand on his right shoulder and tipped his chin up with her other hand, before lightly touching her lips to her fiancee's.

"G-Goku," Krillin sputtered out. "He's in prison."

An anvil dropped on Eighteen's shoulders. It was somehow connected. Launch had tutored Goku's kid and if she'd kept in better contact with Launch, then maybe she could've warned her boyfriend ages ago before they got engaged and he discovered the news this way.

"For what, hon?" she tenderly asked. She squeezed his hands within hers as a subtle sign of reassurance. She might be cold and distant, uncaring even, but when it came to Krillin everything mattered. This man, this Goku character, held a portion of her love's heart and knowing that they were so disconnected that he didn't even _know _that the man was imprisoned was probably tearing him apart inside.

"He was convicted of domestic abuse and attempted murder," Krillin supplied, "but Chi Chi says the charges were mostly bogus and he should've received some sort of insanity exemption."

"Insanity?" Eighteen asked for clarification. She'd heard many stories about Goku, but nary one of them hinted at anything related to mental illness or instability.

"Yeah. She wouldn't go into details. He'll be out in time for the wedding in all likelihood," Krillin explained. "Since I doubt we're going to get married within the next two months. Goku will be released after that."

"That's good, honey. Why are you so upset then?" Eighteen asked her partner.

"Am I a bad friend? He's been in prison for _seven _years, and was in legal trouble for a few months before finally being sentenced. He's supposed to be my best friend and yet I knew nothing about any of this."

"No, you're not a bad friend," Eighteen reassured him, "but you should probably stay more in contact with him once he gets out and we're preparing to get married. Why don't we switch the subject, babe?" she asked

Krillin had tons of terms of endearments in Eighteen's book, ranging from babe to hon to lover. They all were used interchangeably as descriptors, creating a decent sense of mystery around their relationship.

"What do you want to talk about then?" Krillin inquired.

"Two things. Now that we're engaged, I might start looking for a new job. Being the head of the factory is starting to make me even more high-strung than usual," Eighteen stated. "I also asked Launch to be my maid of honor while you were on the phone. She said yes."

"That's awesome honey."

"There's something else, Krillin... Launch was a tutor for Goku's kid. He's at university now, though. Perhaps we could meet up with him one day? He's probably at West City University if Launch was tutoring him," she reasoned. "And perhaps you can tell him some more about Goku? If he was eleven when Goku got sent to prison he might not remember much. Launch gave me the kid's phone number."

Eighteen had just reasoned her way through all of that, but knew most of it was probably accurate. She just truthfully wanted to cheer Krillin up.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea, honey. I'll call him tomorrow. For now let's get some shut-eye."

...

A simple vending machine excursion shouldn't take very long at all. Prolonging a trip to the vending machine in order to allow your roommate and her new crush time to talk out their feelings, however? _That _takes a very long time.

Angela had perfected the art of stalling long ago. Having dozens of suitors wooing for your affection each time you enter a different high school hallway got old after a short amount of time. The redhead needed to learn how to tune out the annoying kids, and did so.

The floor lounge had a large flat-screen TV and a handful of couches in addition to the vending machine, which gave Angela something to actually do. She'd just blame it on a screwy machine if Erasa asked her where she was, but right now it was imperative to the development of Erasa and Sharpner's relationship that they get quality alone time.

Angela couldn't come up with a legitimate reason as to why tears were beginning to prick at the corner of her eyes. She knew Gohan and her were ultimately friendzoned, but it still hurt to see the spiky-haired teen so easily and obviously take an interest in Videl. She really did understand the value of a lifelong best friend, but the lust and attraction didn't simply dissipate because Gohan wished it to.

The redhead just clasped her hands together behind her head and laid back on the leathery white couch, waiting what she determined to be a sufficient amount of time for Erasa and Sharpner to discuss the status of their relationship.

Just as she was about to head back to her bedroom, the devil - as Angela had so eloquently dubbed her - herself walked into the floor lounge.

"Oh, hi. Angela, right?" Videl asked.

"Yes, that's me," Angela sulked, "and why are you in here?"

"I went to your room, but E and Sharpner were having a very serious discussion so Erasa kindly asked me to come here and see what you were up to."

"Oh," Angela stated. "I came here to give those two lovebirds some time to discuss their relationship. Excuse me, but do you have a change of clothes here?"

Videl was still in her gorgeous outfit from dinner with Erasa, which Angela noted was probably more expensive than her entire wardrobe.

"Yeah, I do. Erasa and I keep four or five changes of clothes for one another," the Satan girl explained. "And my favorite pair of pajamas is generally with E."

"Oh, that makes sense," Angela said. She then sighed and let out a huff of breath, intent on keeping a peaceful silence. Alas, it was not meant to be.

"What do you think of Gohan?" Videl asked her.

The question caught her off guard since it came completely out of the blue. She thought about it for a second. If she had to describe her new friend in three words it'd be: "Attractive, kind, and trustworthy."

"He seems really nice. Gohan told me he met you last night, right?"

Angela narrowed her eyes. Was Videl interrogating her now? What right did she have? This certainly _felt _like a game of twenty questions.

"Yes, that's right," she ground out from between gritted teeth. "What of it?"

Videl smirked before she decided to reply. "Nothing, really. I'm just quite curious as to the nature of your friendship with Gohan, that's all."

"He's a really nice guy who I intend to be friends with for a very long time. Is that a good answer? Tell me, does Gohan know your father is Judge Hercule Satan? I don't think he likes that man very much."

Angela internally screamed for joy when Videl's face faltered. It seemed that she hadn't considered the possibility that Gohan would be anti-Satan and would resent her for her parental lineage. Her joy evaporated when Videl began speaking again.

"From what I've observed, I don't think Gohan would judge a book by its cover. You know that, too, which means you were just trying to goad me. He seems like a nice person."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Videl," Angela started with a smirk that conveyed just the opposite, "but I know Gohan a good bit better than you do. I had a nice, long drunk conversation with the boy last night while sleeping on his shoulder, after all."

With that, Angela winked and stood up, leaving Videl to her thoughts. Unbeknownst to Videl, the redhead was barely holding back tears.

...

The conversation she had with Sharpner concerning the status of their relationship had gone smoothly all things considered. The blonde teenager understood what she wanted out of this relationship for now and wanted similar things. They would go out on a date or several and see if their personalities were truly compatible then take it from there. In the meantime, a few kisses here and there were not unwelcome.

At the moment, Erasa was hugging Sharpner close, nestling herself into his broad chest. His muscles weren't bulging, but they were compact and strong, something which excited Erasa should they eventually have sex.

Sharpner was just whispering words into her ear, which reassured her that they could eventually sustain a long-term relationship. If nothing else, she had a new friend.

Erasa eventually just laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling with her arms wrapped around Sharpie's body.

A few minutes later, Angela came storming back into the room, fuming beyond belief. Sharpner remained asleep, but Erasa woke up due to the incredible racket her friend was causing. She glared at the redhead for disturbing her tranquil environment, then noticed how upset Angela looked.

Carefully detaching herself from Sharpner's hold, Erasa tiptoed over to Angela's bed, sat down next to her, and latched one arm around her.

"Hey, Angela," she whispered, "do you want to tell me what happened?"

Erasa could tell that her new roommate was probably going to be defiant and refuse to vocalize her emotions, but decided to pry anyway.

The angry redhead shook her head in negative fashion, then nuzzled her head into Erasa's side.

Not one to be so easily deterred, Erasa pushed the issue even more. "Come on, sweetie. You can tell me what's wrong. What are friends for?"

That seemed to do the trick as Angela began giving in to Erasa and eventually began rambling. "It's just, like," she started, "it hurts to see Videl and Gohan. Even if there's barely anything, or even nothing, between them, it's still more than I'll ever have with him."

Erasa nodded her head in understanding. Glancing over at Sharpner, she noticed the blonde boy still sound asleep. "I can tell you like him a bit, but you seem to be getting really worked up. Is there something else bothering you?"

"Yeah," Angela admitted. "Normally, back in high school, I could have any guy I wanted at any time. Now though, it's as if my charms stayed back in high school. I could tell Gohan found me attractive and yet he just wants to be friends."

Erasa could see that her roommate wasn't used to not getting what she wanted. She understood the feeling. If Sharpner just wanted to be friends she would probably be completely devastated and in a state similar to how Angela currently was. "What are you going to do about this, though?" the blonde inquired.

"I can't really do anything. Maybe if I find a different guy who doesn't turn me down then I can forget about Gohan," Angela pouted.

"That might work!" Erasa exclaimed, a pep back in her step. All of the depressing conversation of the last few minutes had really deflated her after the promising talk with Sharpner.

Angela reached to her right and fished around in her nightstand for a tissue, finally finding one in the back of the drawer. She wiped away the few stray tears that had fallen on the walk back, crumpled the tissue, then threw it away.

At that very moment, Videl returned to the bedroom. She still looked a little dumbstruck from, Erasa could only assume, whatever happened to get Angela so upset. The redhead had seemed to calm down quite a bit, so Erasa decided it was the opportune time to switch her attention to her childhood best friend.

Patting Angela on the back once for comfort, the blonde teenager rose from her spot and walked over to Videl, enveloping her in a tight embrace in the process. "Hey, Vi. Do you want to go talk?"

Videl offered a barely perceptible nod before turning around and walking right out the way she came in. Erasa followed her, wanting to know exactly what had happened. An ulterior motive was also to get the scoop between her raven-haired best friend and the tall and mysterious Gohan.

The pair turned in the direction of the floor lounge after exiting Erasa's room and quietly walked towards it. When they arrived, the blonde seated herself on the couch while Videl opted to stand, her hands clenched at her side.

"So what happened, Videl? Angela was pretty distraught." Erasa glowered slightly at her longtime best friend, signifying she wasn't angry, but still wanted to find out what had happened.

"I just... I may have upset Angela a little. I was a little jealous at how close her and Gohan seemed after just a day."

"So... you like Gohan?" Erasa queried. She had to know the entire scope of the situation before passing judgment.

"I... I don't know," Videl said, covering her face with her left hand as she shook her head side to side. "He's nice... but I just met him. Plus, he's a guy! He could've recognized me as my dad's daughter and he might be trying to use me for dad's money and power."

"I can't really help you there, Vi. I don't know the kid too well. From how Angela talks about him," Erasa continued, "I wouldn't think he's that type of person. Then again, who knows?"

Videl just muttered a bunch of unintelligible drivel under her breath as Erasa sat there continuing to think over the entire situation. "Look at the bright side, Vi," the blonde spoke up after awhile.

"What bright side, Erasa?" the Satan girl countered with her patented glare.

"Gohan friendzoned Angela for sure, and he hasn't done that to you yet." As she spoke, her energy caused her voice to rise in volume. "I think he genuinely likes you," she continued, "in fact, I'm sure of it."

Videl looked utterly confused at the situation and didn't know how to handle herself, which Erasa could understand. For as long as the blonde girl could remember, her best friend had never had serious feelings for any boy. Back in high school, they were yin and yang. Erasa wasn't exactly a tease or a flirt, but she dated several boys throughout the years whilst Videl never explored the dating market. Her dad would always chase away boys, doing thorough background checks of any boy Videl was interested in, then blackmailing the boy with the tiniest detail to keep him away from his precious angel.

Now, though, Hercule Satan didn't have a say in her daughter's love life and Erasa intended to help her lifelong friend exploit this newfound freedom to its fullest extent and reap the fruits life has to offer.

The very thought of a potential triple date with Sharpner, Videl, Gohan, Angela, and some other guy excited her to no end and made her internally jump for joy.

"Hey Videl," Erasa started, "can we go back to the room now? I did leave Angela and Sharpner there, and don't we have some movies to watch before bed?"

"Sure, Erasa. Let's go."

With that the lifelong best friends returned to their room to join their other two companions intent on a night of movie-watching and forgetting about the romantic squabbles of early university life.

...

Teaching was something he had done for several decades at some point. In the past, he considered himself one of the greatest people of his generation, but his time was way past.

Adjusting his pitch black glasses, the elderly man looked at the entrance essays cluttering the desk in his small abode. Years ago, he taught high school students for a regular job. He had friends outside of his workplace of course, but some were shadier than others. Plus, he inadvertently caused some rifts between students of his former best friend and his own students. Hell, if he could go back in time, that'd be one thing he would fix first.

Having been an experienced teacher at the time, West City Prep allowed a unique opportunity to teach decent children at the intermediate academic level.

Now, however, he taught university students the history of the modern world, ranging from various technological advancements to the wars fought. He mainly focused on the history of West City since he was employed by the city's largest university, but he branched out on occasion to teach a broader spectrum to his students.

Professor Kame glanced down at his sparkling blue ballpoint pen and continuing grading papers. As a harsh teacher he required all of his incoming students to produce a literary criticism essay on a summer reading book and email it to him no later than the university's move-in day so he could grade the papers before classes begin. This semester's batch of teenagers had been mostly mediocre with a handful of exemplary reports mixed in with the rest.

One in particular stood out to him above all the rest. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He had a student with the same family name long ago ,but he had kept in contact with that man; he knew his protege had a son, but he couldn't remember the boy's name for the life of him.

He reached for his walking stick and got up, all of the completely marked papers neatly tucked away in his briefcase. The elderly instructor knew how odd the first day of classes was for the majority of his freshmen students and wanted it to go smoothly. The collection of thirty students had produced three 'A" marks, five 'A-' marks, ten total in the 'B' range, and the rest a smattering of 'C+'s and 'C's. His personal policy refused to fail anybody on this first assignment since they didn't know his grading philosophies, so he employed a normal distribution for the grades with mean about a B.

He also wondered silently if there would be any attractive students in his class. Sure, obviously as a teacher nothing would happen, especially considering his age, but he was a lecherous pervert when the time called for it and he still very much liked ogling pretty girls.

The aging professor gingerly walked towards his bedroom with his walking stick in one hand and briefcase in the other. His man-cave, as he liked to refer to it, was painted a deep shade of red with a tall dresser against the far wall and a king sized bed centered against the back wall. The corner to the left of his door contained a walk-in closet with all of his tropical tee shirts hanging in it and his shoes cluttering the floor.

What could he say? He was a man of impeccable taste who loved his colorful outfits and dress shoes. He had some sandals mixed in with the formal footwear, but he rarely wore anything other than professional-style dark black shoes. The university president was annoyed enough that he employed a professor who refused to wear a polo shirt, much less a suit and tie. It wouldn't look good if he disobeyed his bosses direct order to wear everything else nice.

"Man, I wonder if he really is Goku's kid," the aging man muttered to himself as he simultaneously sat down on the edge of his bed. Professor Kame laid backward and stretched out his muscles then turned slightly towards his nightstand. He was too far away from the furniture to reach it in his current position, so the teacher hopped back on the bed towards his pillow. Despite his old age he was still light afoot and easily maneuvered his way to the nightstand.

Opening up the top drawer, Professor Kame removed a single photograph from a small container. In the picture was himself and his three top students from West City Prep. The man all the way on the left had an unruly mane of spiky black hair and donned an orange tee shirt. Adjacent to him was the much shorter bald man who also wore a very similar orange tee shirt. The two shirts both had identical symbols on them which signified their membership in an exclusive club at their school. The third man, situated to the right of the good professor, was about the first man's height with a spiky hairstyle as well and a scar gracing his right cheek.

Memories from his younger years, even if barely two decades ago, made him saddened. Those three were his best students ever and were inseparable and yet now he hadn't talked to them in a year or so. For all he knew, more of them could be married!

Glancing over at the digital clock, he noticed the digits read half past eleven a.m., so Professor Kame realized it was time to stop his mindless reminiscing and feed his pet turtle. He'd had the creature for years and knew it preferred exotic turtle food over the cheap grub they sold at most stores. He stalked over to his kitchen and fetched the small green container out of the cabinet adjacent to his refrigerator.

Scooping out a handful of the tiny brown pellets, the elderly man bent down and fed his emerald green companion his daily meal.

"Hey, buddy. You hungry?" The turtle eagerly ate the food offered to him, swallowing it down greedily.

Professor Kame then walked to his kitchen and decided to whip up a little something for himself to eat. Feeding his pet had made him considerably more hungry than he'd previously thought. Plus, with all the preemptive grading he needed to do there was no time for breakfast that morning so he was positively starved.

His prospective students had moved in two nights prior and were now enjoying their second morning in their new living quarters, whilst he was in his fifteenth year in the same house.

He walked over to the refrigerator and removed the carton of eggs he had stashed on the top shelf, intent on crafting a mixture of scrambled eggs and bacon to quench his hunger. He also took out a gallon of milk to pour himself a glass of the nutritious liquid.

After five minutes of sizzling the bacon on the stove and preparing the eggs to his liking, Professor Kame had his entire meal ready and set to eat. He grabbed a fork out of one of his drawers and began eagerly digging into his food. It tasted absolutely delicious for someone who hadn't eaten in more than twelve hours so the aging man devoured everything on his plate within minutes.

Looking at his old photographs prompted Professor Kame to call one of his older students to check in with him. He grasped the silver telephone, tossing the cord aside as he did so, then dialed his old friend and former student's digits.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"You don't remember your old teacher? Yamcha my boy! It's Professor Roshi Kame!"

...

**That's the chapter. Let me know your thoughts please.**

**On another note I haven't really advertised any fanfics recently, but I must recommend one I read a few days ago titled "A state of indifference" by . It's a Gohan/Videl fanfic that's absolutely amazing. **

**Thank you to for reviewing every chapter, to videlll and Inno for reviewing chapter 3 and to kalebxdd, gue22, ChaosMoshpit, Son Goshen and Dr. Blue22 for reviewing chapter 4 :D**


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